Clinical Research Directory

MicroRNA Biomarkers for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome

Infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) experience prolonged hospital stays and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes, in-part because of the lack of accurate, individualized, biologic assessments available to manage this increasingly common medical condition. The proposed study will define the molecular mechanisms that regulate the response to opioid withdrawal in the developing brain by focusing on three candidate microRNAs (let-7a, miR-146a, miR-192) that have been shown to respond to opioid exposure in animal models and adults, and are impacted in both my preliminary study of infants with NAS, and my human neural progenitor cell (NPC) design of opioid withdrawal. By determining the mechanism through which microRNAs impact NPC differentiation in opioid withdrawal, and determining whether exosomal salivary microRNA levels predict treatment dose and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with NAS, this study will enhance our knowledge of NAS-related biology and identify potential biomarkers that could improve medical care for this important medical condition.

Effective Caregiving for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Testing an Instructional Mobile Technology Platform for High-Risk Pregnant Women

Most newborns experiencing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) require non-pharmacologic care, which entails, most importantly, maternal involvement with her newborn. To facilitate positive maternal-newborn interactions, mothers need to learn effective caregiving NAS strategies while they are pregnant, yet, an enormous gap exists in the early education of mothers on the symptoms and progression of NAS, in part because no interventions exist to prepare future mothers for the challenges of caring for their newborns at risk for NAS. In this project, the investigators propose to adapt an existing mobile NAS tool for high-risk pregnant women and assess its usability, acceptability, and feasibility in a small randomized controlled analog trial.

Neurostimulation to Improve NOWS Outcomes

The objective of this study is to determine if tAN therapy can reduce the median number of days of oral morphine administered to an infant after start of treatment.

The Alberta Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Mother-Baby Care ImprovEmeNT Program

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), is a common and costly problem in Alberta that affects approximately 250 babies per year exposed to drugs during pregnancy. Unfortunately, this has become more common in the last 10 years. Babies with NAS can be very difficult to care for with poor feeding, diarrhea, and extreme irritability. These babies often receive specialized care and medications in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which leads to separation of mothers and babies at a time when it is most important that they be together. This separation is traumatic for families and expensive for the health and foster care systems, as babies often end up being cared for by governmental agencies. Recent research has shown that keeping mothers and babies together in a quiet, supportive environment in hospital, called 'rooming in', leads to a decreased need for NICU admission, decreased amount of time spent in the NICU, increased rates of breastfeeding, and an increase in babies going home with their mothers. This project will systematically introduce a program of 'rooming-in' to hospitals in Alberta to determine if the investigators can improve NAS care provided to babies and mothers. The goal is to decrease NICU admission and length of stay, increase the number of babies going home with mothers, increase breastfeeding rates, and increase the number of women enrolled in supportive programs for substance use. The investigators will also determine if this rooming-in model of care decreases health and societal costs associated with caring for babies with NAS.

Study to Collect Data for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and Evaluate the Automated Data Collection Process

Substance abuse during pregnancy is on the rise through both prescribed and illicit use of controlled substances, which has increased neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The prevalence of opioid use during pregnancy has increased by 333% from 2013 to 2014 and continues to rise. Approximately 1 in 3 women were prescribed opioids during pregnancy from 2008 to 2012. In the US, NAS was diagnosed every 25 minutes in 2014. By 2019, it became every 15 minutes. Although there are medication-based interventions for the treatment of NAS, used in up to 80% of opioid-exposed infants, these treatments carry risks of toxicity and drug interactions. Despite the steep medical costs and the risks of treatment, current tools to assess the severity of NAS are subjective and suffer from examiner bias, resulting in poorer clinical outcomes, such as longer lengths of stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), for these babies. Studies have shown that continuous vital sign monitoring improves outcomes and decreases the length of stay in general practice. Preliminary machine learning models have been able to predict pharmacological treatment for Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS). This project will collect physiological and behavioral data of NAS patients to develop an AI algorithm and establish the advantages of continuous monitoring in NAS. The AI algorithm, processed by machine learning, will help predict NAS symptoms, automate scoring, and provide healthcare personnel with predictive analytics to guide suggested treatments.

A Trial to Determine Weight Gain Benefits of Caloric Supplementation for NAS Infants

A randomized clinical study in NAS infants managed via the Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) approach comparing early weight loss on a standard-caloric density versus high-caloric density feeding regimen.

An Intervention Mapping Approach to Closing the Gap in Maternal OUD and Infant NAS Care (SUPPORT)

The purpose of this study is to address the gap in maternal OUD treatment and infant neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome care. The research team will develop a treatment model and a set of strategies to provide evidence-based OUD treatment to postpartum mothers in NICUs. First, the investigators will conduct a needs assessment via in-depth qualitative interviews with NICU mothers and clinicians. Then, with the expertise of the advisory board, the the researchers will create a protocol for implementing maternal OUD treatment at the NICU bedside. The researchers will then implement the protocol in two partner NICUs and evaluate the acceptability and feasibility to patients, providers, and clinical, and administrative leaders. The goal of this research study is to integrate maternal mental health and substance abuse treatment in pediatric settings and to refine, test, and examine the acceptability and feasibility of applying the adapted model.

Treatment of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome With Clonidine Versus Morphine as Primary Therapy

The purpose of this study is to show non-inferiority between two medications used for medical treatment of withdrawal seen in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), Clonidine and Morphine Sulfate (used in routine care) on length of treatment for NAS .