Understanding how breathing effort in premature babies with lung disease comes from different lung problems
Official title: Calculating the Components of Work of Breathing in Neonates with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Funded at Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr · NIH-11396353 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project aims to create a patient-specific tool to measure how different features of bronchopulmonary dysplasia contribute to the struggle to breathe in premature infants.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $781,677 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL173164-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11396353 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Premature infants at risk for or diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia who require monitoring of breathing effort.
✕Less likely to help
Infants without BPD or those not experiencing significant breathing difficulties may not see direct benefits.
What this research studies
In this study, researchers will develop a tool to break down the breathing effort (work of breathing) into parts caused by different lung disease features seen in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in neonates. The goal is to translate complex lung phenotypes into a simple, usable measurement that could guide personalized treatment for infants at risk of severe breathing problems. The team will validate the tool using data from premature babies and test how well it reflects actual breathing effort across different BPD phenotypes. This work could pave the way for therapies tailored to a baby’s specific lung condition and improve outcomes. The grant supports collaboration at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center over several years to bring this tool from concept toward clinical use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the tool could enable personalized treatments for premature infants with BPD by targeting therapies to the patient’s dominant breathing-impairing phenotype.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has explored components of breathing effort, but this project is aiming to quantify phenotype-specific contributions for personalized care, which is a novel step.
Where this research is happening
-
Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bates, Alister — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Bates, Alister
Related research
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Metabolic clues to BPD-related pulmonary hypertension in babies and teens and adults
This grant aims to understand why a serious lung condition in preterm babies can lead to high blood pressure in the lungs, with the goal of finding new treatments.
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.