{"id":56997,"date":"2023-07-05T13:58:18","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T03:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hudsonorgau.wpengine.com\/?post_type=hdsn_news_post&p=56997"},"modified":"2023-09-12T11:03:22","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T01:03:22","slug":"from-laboratory-discovery-to-clinical-trials","status":"publish","type":"hdsn_news_post","link":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/news\/from-laboratory-discovery-to-clinical-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"New treatments for preterm babies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The combined skills of Professors Claudia<\/a> and Marcel Nold<\/a> are bringing new treatments for preterm babies, from laboratory discovery to clinical trials in Monash Children\u2019s Hospital\u2019s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).<\/p>\n\n\n

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L\u2013R: Professors Marcel Nold and Claudia Nold<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In business it\u2019s called vertical integration \u2013 when the same organisation controls multiple stages of the production process. The medical research equivalent of vertical integration is rare \u2013 which is why Hudson Institute is fortunate to have husband and-wife team Professor Claudia Nold (Research Group Head, Interventional Immunology in Early Life Diseases<\/a>) and Professor Marcel Nold (Research Group Head, Interventional Immunology in Early Life Diseases<\/a>, and Professor, Paediatrics Monash Health<\/a>), who are engaged in a hugely beneficial working partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controlling inflammation in preterm babies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a background in pharmacology, Claudia spends her time searching for new ways to safeguard the health of tiny infants \u2013 aiming to prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), necrotising enterocolitis, and other illnesses, as well as collaborating on prevention of cerebral palsy. She jointly heads the Interventional Immunology in Early Life Diseases Research group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile Marcel, a clinician-scientist, splits his time between the lab and Monash Children\u2019s Hospital, where he\u2019s hands-on with babies like Max (see story below) and their families during their early difficult days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These pioneering collaborators are now close to achieving something once thought impossible. Based on decades of work, they are within reach of a treatment to control inflammation in preterm babies that can cause devastating heart, lung, gut and brain conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preterm inflammatory response identified<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, they identified the specific inflammatory responses that drive illnesses of prematurity and revealed several risk factors both before and after birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcel explains their discovery, published in Science Translational Medicine<\/em>: \u201cType-2- polarised inflammation drives cardiopulmonary disease in these babies, allowing us to now work on ways to control inflammation in preterm babies and avoid the damage it wreaks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s one of those \u2018eureka\u2019 moments,\u201d says Claudia. \u201cLike when we discovered the anti-inflammatory function of one of the molecules we were investigating, which we now are developing into a drug.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

They also further advanced their clinical trial of the anti-inflammatory drug anakinra, and they are cautiously positive about the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Max and Susana<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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A little over 27 weeks into her second pregnancy, all in the space of a couple of days, Susana went from planning months ahead for her baby\u2019s arrival to giving birth and becoming part of medical history.<\/p>\n

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\"Susana<\/a>
L\u2013R: Susana and Max<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Baby Max arrived small and vulnerable, so when doctors in Monash Children\u2019s Hospital\u2019s neonatal unit asked if she would like her newborn son to be the first participant in a trial of a new treatment to keep preterm babies healthy, she quickly said \u201cyes\u201d.<\/p>\n

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The drug anakinra has been used to prevent dangerous\u00a0inflammation for decades, but never in\u00a0preterm\u00a0newborns until this trial.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe were aware of the dangers to vital\u00a0organs such as lungs, heart, gut and brain for a baby born so early \u2013 it was daunting but I\u2019m proud that we took part. We\u2019ve brought some good to the world,\u201d Susana said.<\/p>\n

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Now, 10 months on, Max is making good progress and recently even had his first overseas trip \u2013 to meet his grandparents for the first time. But even before he got on the plane, little Max had travelled a long way.<\/p>\n

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Diseases we research<\/p>\n

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