RELATED PROJECTS

PREMSTEM (The Brain Injury in the Premature Born Infant: Stem Cell Regeneration Research Network) brings together world-leading clinicians, researchers, patient advocacy organisations and an industry partner with expertise in neonatology and drug development.

Each year, around 15 million babies worldwide are born preterm, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Many are at risk of developing encephalopathy of prematurity, a form of brain injury for which there are currently no treatments that can repair the damage.

The PREMSTEM consortium is investigating whether stem cells derived from donated umbilical cord tissue could provide a new regenerative therapy for this condition. The research is focused on three key questions: when treatment should be given, what dose is most effective, and whether stem cells should be delivered through the nose (intranasally) or into the bloodstream (intravenously).

Alongside the development of the therapy, the project is creating affordable, easy-to-use imaging tools to help clinicians detect brain injury in preterm infants earlier and more accurately.