About NIMBUS

Neonatal brain injury has a heterogenous aetiology with a high economic and social burden. Neonatal encephalopathy describes the babies who require resuscitation at birth and have an abnormal neurological examination. It remains difficult to predict their developmental outcomes. Enhanced inflammatory responses are seen in affected infants and correlate with outcomes. Multiorgan dysfunction is common with renal, hepatic, cardiac and haematological abnormalities.

The NIMBUS research team has worked with families of babies who have experienced neonatal encephalopathy (NE) due to intra-partum-related complications (asphyxia, lack of breathing at birth), birth defects (antenatal maternal factors, genetic predisposition, placental abnormalities), infections, thrombophilia, coagulation defects, or metabolic disorders. Thanks to the participation of these families in this research project, we were able to study multi-organ dysfunction and inflammatory mechanism which may persist in later childhood. The NIMBUS research provides us with a better understanding of systemic changes that are caused by NE, and presents us with vital information about perinatal inflammation which has long been associated with brain injury and potential neuropsychiatric conditions later on life.

The NIMBUS programme is funded by the HRB. Its primary research objectives are as follows:

Aim 1: Multiorgan dysfunction in Neonatal Encephalopathy

To standardise clinical multiorgan data collection and investigation in Neonatal encephalopathy in order to improve clinical outcomes and increase parent information. Organ-specific measurement of function will be established using a multidisciplinary expert group.

Aim 2: Inflammatory response in NE

To quantify inflammatory responses as biomarkers and also targets for disease modification.

To understand the detailed inflammatory response in infants with NE in order to develop translational therapies to improve neurological outcome as adjuncts to hypothermia.

Aim 3: Clinical and Biomarker Prognostic Indicators

To evaluate the associations between multiorgan outcome and neurological dysfunction.

To identify important variables that will eventually inform a bedside scoring system to estimate prognosis in the first days of life in an infant with NE. Inflammatory and organ-specific biomarkers may increase the predictive value of the clinical score to create an algorithm of prognostic outcome.