Grant: Project Grant

Premature babies are at high risk of life-threatening infections during the first month of age, due to major vulnerabilities of their immunological defenses against microbes. The lack of knowledge of why this is limits our ability to make the immune system of these babies stronger. In our research, we found that immune cells from premature babies don't utilize energy the same way as adult immune cells. We suspect that this is the reason why their immune system does not respond well to a microbe invasion of their body. In this research project, we will determine how energy metabolism affects the function of newborn immune cells and how this could explain their risk of infection in the newborn period. We hope that these studies will provide ways to "enhance" preterm babies' immune defenses and reduce their vulnerability to infections.