Why heart–lung bypass causes inflammation in newborns
Official title: Supraphysiologic Shear Stresses Associated with Cardiopulmonary Bypass are Sufficient to Activate RIKP3 Signaling
Funded at Seattle Children's Hospital · NIH-11289425 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Seeing if the high blood-flow stresses during heart–lung bypass trigger inflammation in babies having open‑heart surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Seattle Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | April 11, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $725,965 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD106628-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11289425 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Babies and infants scheduled for open‑heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, or parents willing to let clinicians collect blood samples for research, would be the ideal participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who are adults, children not undergoing bypass, or patients with conditions unrelated to cardiopulmonary bypass are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective: doctors are looking at blood from newborns and running lab and piglet experiments to learn how the bypass machine harms blood cells. They focus on a signaling protein called RIPK3 and calcium-related pathways that seem to make immune cells react. Lab tests and animal models are being used together with samples from neonatal bypass patients to find which steps can be blocked by small drugs. The goal is to turn those findings into ways to prevent inflammation and organ problems after surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to drugs or treatments that reduce inflammation and organ injury after cardiopulmonary bypass in newborns.
How similar studies have gone: Previous lab and animal work, including piglet models and analyses of samples from neonatal patients, has already linked RIPK3 and necroptosis to post‑bypass inflammation, but clinical treatments remain unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Seattle Children's Hospital
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nigam, Vishal — Seattle Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Nigam, Vishal
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This study is looking at how a heart-lung machine used during heart surgery for kids can cause inflammation in their bodies, and it aims to find ways to reduce this inflammation to help them recover better after surgery.
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.