Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu and ICFO’s joint lab for improved neonatal and paediatric health care.
Network project partners and key network researchers involved
Project summary
The joint laboratory aims to advance the use and development of photonic technologies to understand, diagnose, monitor and treat paediatric diseases. The initiative currently focuses in three main research lines:
1. From the heart to neurodevelopment
Every year, 400 children are born in Barcelona with congenital cardiopathies and 40% will need heart surgery during the first year of life. Researchers Dr. Turgut Durduran (ICFO), Dr. Juan Sanchez de Toledo (IRSJD) and Dr. Marta Camprubí (IRSJD) aim to develop tools that will allow continuous monitoring of the brain in these children, enabling the detection of neurological problems and the anticipation of related consequences. A continuous brain-monitoring tool could help medical staff to focus on these patients and protect their neurodevelopment, allowing them to reach adulthood with “normal” neurological development and a good quality of life.
2. Accelerating new therapies
Collagen-associated muscular dystrophy VI (COL6-RD) is a degenerative muscular disease that mainly affects children, with a major impact on their quality of life as well as life expectancy. Thanks to the project led by Dr. Pablo Loza (ICFO), Dr. Cecilia Jimenez-Mallebrera (IRSJD) and Dr. Mónica Roldán (IRSJD), researchers will be able to advance in new advanced microscopy and image analysis techniques. This will provide precise quantitative methods to control the efficacy of new drugs and therapies as well as accelerate the regulatory process of new treatments, which would subsequently allow the drugs to reach all children in need.
3. Impact of seizures and neuroprotection of the neonatal and infant brain
Seizures in new-borns and infants are symptoms caused by many diseases. The new-born and infant brain is known to be a vulnerable structure, but the impact of seizures, regardless of their cause, is unknown. Researchers Dr. Turgut Durduran (ICFO) and Dr. Carme Fons (IRSJD) aim to analyse, in a non-invasive way and at the patient´s bedside, the relationship between metabolic involvement during seizures and neurodevelopmental disorders. The final objective will be to develop neuroprotection strategies to minimise the future impact of seizures and improve the quality of life and integration into society of the patients.
Funding institutions
