Sharp Neonatal Research Center for Newborns
Official title: Sharp Neonatal Research Institute Clinical Center (Sharp NRI-CC)
Funded at Sharp Memorial Hospital · NIH-11312665 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program will recruit and enroll extremely preterm and high‑risk newborns at Sharp hospitals to participate in newborn care research trials.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sharp Memorial Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $339,460 |
| NIH project number | 5UG1HD112100-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11312665 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are extremely preterm or other high‑risk newborns born at or transferred to Sharp hospitals who meet specific trial eligibility criteria.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy full‑term infants or babies born outside participating Sharp hospitals, and those who do not meet individual trial eligibility, are unlikely to participate or benefit from this program.
What this research studies
Sharp NRI-CC will serve as a clinical center in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD Neonatal Research Network to enroll diverse, high‑risk newborns into multicenter neonatal trials. The team leverages two Sharp hospitals that together deliver over 10,000 babies per year and admit roughly 1,500 neonates to the NICU annually. Trained staff provide 24/7 recruitment, attend high‑risk deliveries, complete antenatal consent processes with historically high consent rates, and coordinate neurodevelopmental follow-up. This center builds on prior NRN experience and aims to improve trial enrollment and completion for extremely preterm infants in San Diego County.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the center could speed patient access to new neonatal therapies and improve outcomes for extremely preterm infants through participation in rigorous trials.
How similar studies have gone: Previous Neonatal Research Network centers and trials have produced important advances in preterm care, though enrollment challenges remain, making high‑volume centers valuable.
Where this research is happening
-
Sharp Memorial Hospital
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Katheria, Anup C — Sharp Memorial Hospital
- Study coordinator: Katheria, Anup C
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving clinical trials for extremely preterm infants
This study is all about making it easier for families of extremely preterm infants to join important clinical trials at the Sharp Neonatal Research Institute, so that more babies can benefit from new treatments while also making sure to include diverse families, especially those from the local Hispanic community.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.