A Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI)-led project that aims to improve the respiratory support of preterm babies has received a funding boost.

MCRI’s Dr Kristin Ferguson has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the ZOLL Foundation to identify how best to deliver oxygen to babies born before 32 weeks gestation.

The ZOLL Foundation supports research focused on cardiopulmonary and respiratory conditions to help improve the clinical care and wellbeing of patients.

More than two million babies globally and about 3,000 in Australia are born very preterm every year. Many of these children require invasive treatments that can contribute to chronic lung disease and ongoing impairments to breathing, motor skills and brain development.

Dr Ferguson said the grant would allow her to explore whether changing the speed of oxygen delivery to preterm babies could reduce their rates of chronic lung disease.

Image: Dr Kristin Ferguson

“Preterm babies often require live-saving breathing support, but unfortunately these treatments can result in life-long complications,” she said. This grant will help my team to determine whether a slower speed of oxygen delivery is beneficial when compared to standard flow rates, something that is yet to be comprehensively tested.”

Dr Ferguson has also received funding through a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgrad Scholarship and is supported by a MACH-Track Fellowship. Her ZOLL Grant will supply additional equipment and expert support from a statistician, data manager and research nurse.

Dr Ferguson said she hoped her project would provide the foundation for a larger, international trial and improve the health outcomes of preterm babies worldwide.

Researchers from the Royal Women’s Hospital and Mercy Hospital for Women will also contribute to the project.

Read more about MCRI’s work in Neonatal research.