Functional and Lymphocytic Markers of Respiratory Morbidity in Hyperoxic Preemies

Approximately 550,000 babies born prematurely each year in the United States suffer from birth at a time in development when the respiratory tract and immune system would normally be protected and maintained in a naive state. This project is a component of the NIH Prematurity and Respiratory Outcomes Program (PROP) whose goals are the identification of disease mechanisms and biomarkers to stratify premature infants, at the time of discharge, for their risk of subsequent pulmonary morbidity. This Clinical Research Center (CRC) project will investigate prematurity-dependent alterations in cellular innate and adaptive immune systems resulting in increased susceptibility to respiratory infections and environmental irritants, and leading to respiratory morbidity in the first year of life. Prior studies have established developmental (maturity) and disease-related changes in circulating and pulmonary lymphocyte populations, but a comprehensive assessment of... (for more see dbGaP study page.)