Pediatric Lung Research Program

Project Summary:

Lung disease is the most common reason for infants and children to require medical care, including intensive care support at birth, as well as medical care in early childhood. The leading causes of neonatal repiratory failure are persistence of pulmonary hypertension and premature birth leading to bronchopulmonary dysplasia. These illnesses affect 10,000 newborn infants in Wisconsin every year.

In addition, lung injury or disease can impose lifelong breathing difficulty, hospital visits, and neurodevelopmental delays. Over 200,000 Wisconsin children and adults under age 40 are affected by conditions of neonatal lung disease. Improving the respiratory health of Wisconsin children requires further investigation on its causes and contributing factors in order to develop new therapies that may decrease complications of these diseases.

Through this award, investigators will aim to identify causes of pediatric lung disease to inform future therapies and outreach strategies that will improve the respiratory health of Wisconsin children.