Birth asphyxia or neonatal hypoxia is a medical condition resulting from a global deprivation of oxygen to a new-born infant that lasts long enough to cause harm, while the whole body is affected the brain is especially vulnerable to the lack of oxygen. Indeed, in a proportion of the infants, brain damage will manifest as either mental, such as developmental delay or intellectual disability, or physical, such as cerebral palsy.
Perinatal asphyxia happens in 2 to 10 per 1000 new-borns that are born at term, and a higher proportion in babies born prematurely. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 4 million neonatal deaths occur yearly due to birth asphyxia, representing 38% of deaths of children under 5 years of age. The effect of perinatal asphyxia on the brain and development of babies is poorly understood. We know that babies suffering from hypoxia may develop neurological outcomes and current treatment are not effective in a subset of infants. This project will study the role of inflammation in hypoxia and how affect brain development and explore ways to improve neurological outcomes. To achieve this, we will use our well-characterized pre-clinical model, and we will analyse how microglia (the immune cells of the brain) may contribute to the pathology of hypoxia-seizures in infants. In summary, we will dissect novel mechanisms underlying birth asphyxia and evaluate novel therapeutic targets.
