Clinical Research Directory

Mechanisms Affecting the Gut of Preterm Infants Receiving Blood Transfusion With Different Enteral Feed Interventions

MAGPIE-2 is a prospective observational study designed to investigate the physiological mechanisms linking blood transfusion and enteral feeding practices to gut perfusion and oxygenation in very preterm infants. The study is nested within the WHEAT International randomised controlled trial, which compares two standard care approaches: withholding versus continuing milk feeds during red blood cell transfusion. While WHEAT evaluates clinical outcomes such as necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), MAGPIE-2 focuses on the underlying physiological changes that may contribute to NEC development. NEC is a serious gastrointestinal condition affecting approximately 10% of extremely preterm infants and is associated with high mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment. Previous observational studies have suggested a temporal link between blood transfusion and NEC onset, particularly when feeds are continued during transfusion. However, the mechanisms remain poorly understood. MAGPIE-2 will use non-invasive monitoring tools-near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and Doppler ultrasound-to measure cerebral and splanchnic (gut) tissue oxygenation and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) blood flow. These measurements will be used to calculate the Splanchnic-Cerebral Oxygenation Ratio (SCOR), a validated marker of gut tissue perfusion and ischaemia. A reduction in SCOR may indicate compromised gut oxygenation, potentially contributing to NEC. The study will recruit 270 infants (135 per arm) already enrolled in the WHEAT trial. Weekly measurements will be taken until 34 weeks corrected gestational age or discharge. Peri-transfusion monitoring includes continuous NIRS from 4 hours before to 4 hours after transfusion, and additional 2-hour recordings at approximately 24 and 48 hours post-transfusion. SMA Doppler assessments will be performed weekly. Primary outcomes include changes in SCOR post-transfusion between the two feeding strategies. Secondary outcomes include changes in cerebral and splanchnic oxygenation, SMA blood flow velocities, and the impact of severe anaemia (pre-transfusion haemoglobin ≤80 g/L) on these parameters. The study also includes an assessment of inter-operator variability in Doppler measurements. MAGPIE-2 aims to provide mechanistic insights that could inform safer transfusion and feeding practices in neonatal care, potentially reducing the incidence of NEC in this vulnerable population.

Study of Normal Intestinal Development and Disease in Premature and Term Neonates

Current research on early intestinal development is primarily performed in mouse models. While useful in many other ways, mouse models are not ideal for studying human intestine development as the timing of this process differs between the two species. Further, prior research has demonstrated that some proteins and pathways that are critical in human development have no clear role in mice. This study aims to improve the overall understanding of critical aspects of intestinal development in humans. In addition, this study will investigate the impact of intestinal diseases that are found in the early stages of life such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

A Phase I Clinical Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of HLX3901 in Patients With Advanced SCLC or NEC

This study is an open-label first-in-human phase I clinical study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic characteristics of HLX3901 in patients with Advanced Small Cell Lung Cancer or Neuroendocrine Carcinoma.

Assessing the Efficacy of Probiotics in Prevention of NEC in Preterm Babies

The goal of the study is to check efficacy of probiotics in preventing necrotizing enterocolitis. The main questions would be if the preterm baby developed NEC or not.

Sensing Oxygen Saturations Using Abdominal NIRS With an Investigational Realtime Device (Songbird)

Preterm infants are highly vulnerable and may suffer from multiple life-threatening conditions that manifest low tissue oxygenation (StO2). Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a technique available to non-invasively and safely monitor the tissue oxygenation status (StO2), which can be beneficial or live saving for this fragile patient population. Unfortunately, traditional NIRS devices show a broad variability when applied to the abdomen (Bailey \& Mally 2016). The novel device is designed especially for application of NIRS on the abdomen of preterm infants.

Non-Invasive Prediction of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Neonates with Feeding Intolerance Using Fecal Lipocalin-2 and Electrical Cardiometry

Prospective observational study to evaluate the efficiency of using electrical cardiometry in combination with fecal lipocalin-2 for prediction of NEC in preterm neonates with feeding intolerance

Safety and PK-PD Study of Oral L-CIT in Preterm Infants with BPD±PH and NEC

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and explore the PK/PD of L-CIT supplementation in preterm infants to prevent the development of inflammatory pathways initiated by low levels of plasma CIT, specifically in preterm infants with post surgical NEC and BPD±PH.