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Project title
Predictive role of Cytochrome C Oxidase measured by broadband near infrared spectroscopy as a real time biomarker of newborn brain injury
Project description
Newnorn brain injury, particularly hypoxic
ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) leads to significant morbidity and mortality. In
spite of significant progress in the last decade, a large proportion of
infants still die after the cooling treatment following HIE. There is an unmet
demand to identify infants with severe injuries early at the cot side and to
better understand the background pathophysiological changes and response to
cooling treatment.
Disturbances in cerebral oxidative metabolism following HIE are well documented.
Cytochrome-c-oxidase (CCO) is the terminal electron acceptor in the
mitochondrial electron transport chain and plays a central role in
mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and ATP synthesis. Using a novel broadband
near infrared spectroscopy system I am investigating cerebral metabolism,
oxygenation and haemodynamics in infants following brain injury at the cot
side.
Preliminary results from this study in infants with HIE, neonatal seizures and
neonatal stroke have already been published in peer reviewed journals.
Start date
Primary supervisor
Prof Nikki Robertson
Based at
Rockefeller Building
Links
ORCID
Research Gate