premature birth

In this 3D projected still image from a precision cut lung slice, alveolar epithelial cells are labeled green. All other cells are seen in purple.
July 5, 2023

Vanderbilt researchers envision the potential to grow new lungs

Using a four-dimensional microscope that allows them to watch a tissue putting itself together, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have achieved a rare feat in science — they have shattered a long-standing dogma about how the lung develops.

By Bill Snyder
From left, Nicholas Negretti, PhD, Jonathan Kropski, MD, John Benjamin, MD, MPH, Jennifer Sucre, MD, and Erin Plosa, MD, led the research team that created a single-cell “atlas” of lung development. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
December 20, 2021

“Atlas” of lung development may aid efforts to heal premature lungs

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have constructed a single-cell “atlas” of lung development that tracks multiple cell types over time.

By Bill Snyder
September 23, 2019

Tailoring treatment for heart defect

By defining the clinical and genetic factors that predict treatment response, Vanderbilt investigators aim to personalize therapy for a common heart complication in preterm infants.

By Leigh MacMillan
October 26, 2018

Fetal membranes and microbial threats

Understanding how cells communicate in the membranes surrounding the developing fetus could suggest new strategies for preventing infections, premature birth and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

By Leigh MacMillan
The nursing staff agreed to let LeBar hold newborn daughter in a technique called “ventral skin-to-skin contact,” which has been shown to improve premature infants’ health, both short- and long-term.
May 24, 2017

My Southern Health: The benefit of skin-to-skin contact for infants

Ventral skin-to-skin contact has been shown to improve premature infants’ health, both short- and long-term. The baby is undressed or unwrapped and placed against the mother’s bare skin, nestled against her chest. A cozier name for this method of holding a new baby is “kangaroo care.”

By VUMC News and Communications
February 9, 2016

Therapies to prevent preterm birth

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a high-throughput assay that will aid in identifying new compounds to treat preterm labor or postpartum bleeding.

By Leigh MacMillan
January 24, 2014

Probing mysteries of preterm birth

Understanding the relationship between the thinning and rupture of fetal membranes and the presence of bacteria could lead to treatment and prevention strategies for premature birth.
By Leigh MacMillan
June 12, 2013

Antacids: risky for premature babies

Antacids that block a certain enzyme pose a risk for a common cardiac problem in premature infants.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 21, 2013

Whitsett set for Flexner Discovery Lecture

Jeffrey Whitsett, M.D., chief of the Section of Neonatology, Perinatal and Pulmonary Biology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, will deliver the next Flexner Discovery Lecture on Thursday, March 28.
By Bill Snyder
September 13, 2012

It helps to have Friends in fight against prematurity

By Christina Echegaray
July 20, 2011

Dad’s diet influences birth timing

It may be possible to prevent preterm birth by modifying the father’s diet before a baby's conception.
By Leigh MacMillan