Trialling novel glucocorticoids to reduce lung diseases of preterm birth

Project description

Women who are at risk of delivering a preterm baby are given antenatal glucocorticoids to mature the lungs of the fetus before birth. However, this life-saving therapy can also impair the development of the brain and other organs. After birth, glucocorticoids are also used as anti-inflammatory agents to help wean preterm babies off ventilatory support, with similar adverse effects on the brain and other organs. This project will trial exciting new steroids in animal models of preterm birth to determine if they mature the fetal lungs and reduce postnatal lung inflammation, without adverse impacts on other organs.