INFANT Centre News
Machine Learning Competition
📣Test your machine learning skills & apply to real-world clinical data! 💡Data Science competition - Build an EEG grading classifier https://infantresearchcommunity.ucc.ie 🧠Using open EEG dataset from newborn infants https://zenodo.org/record/6587973
INFANT team members WIN at Ideate Ireland Competition
INFANT Lead Investigator Dr Mark O'Sullivan and Dr Alison O'Shea of the Neurobell project are the overall winners of the 2022 Ideate Ireland competition which took place last week. The €15,000 top prize was awarded to Neurobell a pocket-sized brain monitor with automated seizure detection for newborns, which builds on the previous research of the INFANT Research Centre in the field of AI-based interpretation of neonatal EEG. "The Ideate programme really pushed us to challenge our market assumptions by completing customer discovery across different stakeholder groups," said O'Sullivan. "We now have a clear understanding of where the clinical need for our technology is greatest and how best to target that market. It is a key milestone in getting us ready for private investment, and winning the competition will provide us with the momentum and support to bring our product to market successfully.” INFANT researcher Sarusha Pillay and INFANT PI Dr Fergus McCarthy won the first runner up prize of €7,000 for their project pHetalSafe, which seeks to detect and prevent fetal hypoxia and assess fetal well-being during labour. We are immensely proud of our colleagues for this amazing achievement. We look forward to the expansion of their work and wish them the very best in achieving their global ambition.
INFANT Seminar Series
📣Final #SeminarSeries before summer break takes place this Friday at 12pm! 🗣 Sonia Lenehan will speak about Science4SightLoss 💡Science4SightLoss is an SFI Discover funded collaboration between INFANT, UCC and Ireland's national sight loss agency the National Council for the Blind (NCBI). Sonia will present a project update with preliminary results. #Science4Sightloss #UCCResearch
New paper by PI’s Dr Ali Khashan and Dr Fergus McCarthy
👏Check out this new paper just out from INFANT Principal Investigators Dr Ali Khashan and Dr Fergus McCarthy 💡'Role of Antihypertensive Treatment and Blood Pressure Control in the Occurrence of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: a Population-Based Study of Linked Electronic Health Records' Read publication here #UCCResearch #PregnancyResearch
New Study Protocol by ICAT Fellow Dr Cathal O’Connor
📣Check out this study protocol just out from Dr Cathal O'Connor ICAT fellow at the INFANT Research Centre University College Cork 💡In this paper Cathal assesses #sleep in infants with early-onset #atopicdermatitis by longitudinal evaluation Read publication here Wellcome Trust #atopicdermatitis #paediatric #dermatology #sleep #UCCResearch
Data Science Competition
📣Test your machine learning skills & apply to real-world clinical data! 💡Data Science competition - Build an EEG grading classifier NOW OPEN: https://infantresearchcommunity.ucc.ie/ 🧠Using open EEG dataset from newborn infants: https://zenodo.org/record/6587973
INFANT Spin-Out ‘CergenX’
INFANT Spin-Out CergenX is using recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the early detection of abnormal brain activity in babies at birth. Founded in 2021, Cergenx aims to improve brain health monitoring in newborns by developing algorithms for screening all babies at birth for abnormal brain activity. The technology will enable early intervention by medical professionals to improve outcomes for newborn babies. The start-up says at least five in every 1,000 newborn babies may have some degree of brain injury. Unfortunately, this is often undetected until the infant is much older when parents notice developmental problems, which can have lifelong consequences. Currently, the most common method for assessing brain function in newborn babies involves the use of electroencephalography (EEG) which measures the tiny electrical impulses of the brain. However, EEGs are complex to read, time consuming and there is often a shortage of trained specialists available. It is therefore not possible to test all newborn babies. According to Cergenx (CSO) Geraldine Boylan, early detection of abnormal brain activity is critical. “The majority of brain development takes place within the first few years of life so early detection of any abnormal brain activity is critical. Early detection is essential for improving the outcome for the child and indeed their family. There are a growing range of treatments and interventions available for newborn brain injury, but [...]
INFANT Seminar Series
📣INFANT Seminar Series continues this Friday! 🗣Clinical Research Fellow Dr. Jurate Panaviene will present 💡Interim results of 50 infants enrolled in The NIOMI study: "Non-Invasive Lung Oxygen Monitoring in Term Infants’’. This clinical observational study is aiming to evaluate if a non-invasive GASMAS-based technology incorporated into Lung analyzer can detect oxygen and measure oxygen concentration in the lungs of healthy full-term infants.
New paper by ICAT fellow Dr Andrea Bowe
👏Check out this new paper just out from Dr Andrea Bowe ICAT fellow in INFANT 💡In this paper Andrea examines the potential of Big Data and Machine Learning to help us to identify those children most at risk of learning delay. 🔎 https://rdcu.be/cPi6Q
INFANT Researchers presenting at the Irish Association for Allergy & Immunology Meeting
📣INFANT Research Centre attended the Irish Association of Allergy and Immunology (IAAI) Annual Meeting in Mullingar 🗣Dr Bailey Crowley gave the presentation: 💡'Observational Study: Sublingual Immunotherapy Compliance In The Paediatric Population' 🗣Caoimhe Cronin gave the presentation: 💡 'Education in AAI administration and anaphylaxis management in the paediatric allergy clinic: What we have learned so far' 📣Dr. Juan Enrique Trujillo Wurttele also took part in the meeting and is the Principal Investigator for the projects presented. #Immunotherapy #UCCResearch #AllergyResearch
Pregnancy Loss Research Group Win Research Group of the Year 2022
Last week the Pregnancy Loss Research Group at University College Cork and Cork University Maternity Hospital led by Prof Keelin O’Donoghue was awarded ‘Best Research Team of the year’ at the UCC Research awards. This multidisciplinary team is made up of doctors, midwvies, nurses, administrative staff, social workers, chaplains, health services/population health/ social science researchers, and parent advocates, and is funded by funders The Irish Research Council, The Health Research Board, Science Foundation Ireland, and the HSE. What are the aims of the group? Examine lifestyles and psycho-social demographic factors associated with all types of pregnancy loss Calidate potential multiple risk factors and biomarkers that may be used to predict pregnancy loss. Develop a research-based approach to the introduction of new materials to improve the process of consent for autopsy Discover bereaved parents’ attitudes to autopsy and post-mortem investigations Explore the psychological and spiritual needs of bereaved parents Examine the lived experiences of men and women who have experienced early pregnancy loss, late miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death Explore bereaved parents’ attitudes and experiences, and then to assess how this interacts with biological or socio-demographic causes of pregnancy loss. Improve understanding and increase awareness of the consequences of pregnancy loss amongst healthcare professionals Examine the impact and costs of pregnancy loss in the next pregnancy on parents and healthcare professionals Learn more about the Pregnancy [...]
Dr Khashan and Dr Woodworth visit Tanzania as part of the Kilimanjaro Ultra 2020 project
Last month Dr Ali Khashan and Dr Simon Woodworth travelled to the Kilimanjaro Region of Northern Tanzania as part of the Kilimanjaro ULTRA 2020 project funded by COALESCE. The ULTRA app is currently being trialed across Kilimanjaro and was designed to improve health outcomes of mothers and babies by enabling health officials to accurately record key data so that they can establish targeted intervention strategies aimed at improving maternal healthcare. Dr Ali Khashan: "We had an exciting visit to our colleagues at KCMC, where we visited several healthcare facilities across the region and had meetings with healthcare professionals including research team lead Dr Blandina Mmbaga and the regional reproductive health officer Gaudensia Olomi. We have learnt a lot about the maternal health care services in the region, where we will pilot the ULTRA App in the next two years. We very much look forward for our future visits." Dr Simon Woodworth: "The ULTRA App has the potential to replace existing paper based maternal tracking systems with an electronic system that is easier to use, searchable, and which will provide up to date data to nurses, clinicians and decision makers in the Kilimajaro Regional Health System." Dr Blandina Mmgaba: “The sites visits by Dr Ali Khashan, Dr.Simon Woodworth and the ULTRA 2020 study team has shown a snapshot of the need for digital birth registry, the [...]
Admission of Professor Geraldine Boylan and Professor Mairead Kiely to the Royal Irish Academy
The INFANT Research Centre is tremendously proud to announce the admission of Professor and Director of INFANT Geraldine Boylan to The Royal Irish Academy alongside other new members, including INFANT Principal Investigator Professor Mairead Kiely. The Royal Irish Academy is Ireland’s leading body of experts in sciences & humanities, which provides expert advice; manages research projects; publishes books & journals; sustains a library. The RIA has been honouring Ireland's leading contributors to the world of learning since its establishment in 1785. New members were commended for their exceptional contributions to the sciences, humanities, and social sciences – as well as to public service at an admittance day ceremony in Dublin. Geraldine Boylan is Professor of Neonatal Physiology, University College Cork and Director of INFANT, the Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research. She is a leading figure internationally in Newborn Neurophysiology and has championed the use of signal processing and AI for the identification of infants at risk of brain injury. Her research innovations have now been translated to the patient bedside, benefitting newborns worldwide Mairead Kiely is a Professor in Human Nutrition at University College Cork. She is an international leader in the field of micronutrient research, in particular vitamin D and its impact on health and child development. Prof Kiely is an expert in nutritional risk assessment and contributes to several international advisory groups in Public Health Nutrition. Also [...]
PhD Profile: Caroline O’Connor
Caroline is a PhD student at the INFANT Centre. Caroline completed her BSc Midwifery in the UCC in 2010. After graduating she travelled to Essex in the UK where she worked as a Band 6 Midwife in one of the largest and busiest maternity units in the country. She returned home at the end of 2011 and began working as an agency midwife in various maternity hospitals around Ireland. Caroline went on to work as a research associate with a medical diagnostics company in conjunction with University College Cork involved in the development of a blood test which can predict the risk that a woman will develop preeclampsia later in their pregnancy. Caroline has completed a postgraduate diploma with UCC in Preparation for Birth and Parenthood and enjoys providing antenatal classes in her spare time. Caroline is now pursuing a PhD with INFANT and NPEC in the area of Multiple pregnancy: An investigation of the risk factors and outcomes in the ROI (The MILESTONE study). Her research is funded by the Irish Research Council. The objective of the study are: Examine the current maternity care provided for the antenatal management of dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twin pregnancies, through the identification, appraisal and review of national and international clinical practice guidelines. Identify the maternal and care-related risk factors associated with perinatal mortality and explore perinatal mortality within the twin [...]
UCC to Lead Research on COVID-19 Infection and Vaccine Uptake During Pregnancy
UCC to Lead Research on COVID-19 Infection and Vaccine Uptake During Pregnancy University College Cork (UCC) and Ulster University (UU) researchers have been awarded €200,000 from the Irish government as part of the North-South “Shared Island” research funding programme to conduct research on COVID-19 infection and vaccine uptake in pregnancy, and the effects of infection and vaccine on the developing fetus. The project aims to 1) establish the patterns of pregnancy exposure to COVID-19 infection and vaccine uptake in the North and South of Ireland and compare these to 19 European regions/countries; and 2) to examine whether there is an association between rates of COVID-19 infection and vaccine uptake and the prevalence of abnormalities of fetal development, in the first trimester of pregnancy. Led by Dr Ali Khashan at UCC’s world renowned INFANT Research Centre, and in collaboration with Dr Paul Corcoran of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre in UCC, and Dr Maria Loane and Professor Helen Dolk at UU, the study will provide pregnant women, partners, healthcare providers and policy makers with quality information so that they can make informed decisions around COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy. The project also collaborates with public health professionals in the North and South of Ireland including Dr Mary O'Mahony (Department of Public Health, HSE South and UCC), Prof Richard Greene (UCC); and Dr Heather Reid and Dr Alison [...]
INFANT Seminar Series
📣Dr Yvonne D'Art will present 'Single dose challenges in the diagnosis and management of cow’s milk allergy in infants' at the INFANT seminar 📅 Friday May 13th at 12pm 💡Cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) is one of the most common food allergies in infancy. Single dose challenges are a new method of assessing dose reactivity in food allergic children. In this study 60 children were recruited to a randomised controlled trial of single dose exposure to cow’s milk using the dose of milk that would elicit reactions in 5% of CMPA subjects(the ED05), before implementation of graded exposure to milk at home, using the 12-step milk ladder. The milk ladder was shown to be safe and effective in infants under 12 months and that the single dose challenge helps these infants achieve tolerance even more quickly. Levels of maternal anxiety were also found to reflect infants’ progress and that pre-existing high levels of anxiety are associated with poorer progress.
INFANT Researchers contributing to The Biophotonics Congress: Biomedical Optics
📣 The Biophotonics Congress: Biomedical Optics is one of the leading events that gathers international researchers engaged in optical methods to advance application of medical science to clinical practice. 🗣 27th April - Clinical research fellow Jurate Panaviene at INFANT is going to present the results of the Pilot trial investigating non-invasive, optical technology-based lung oxygen monitoring in healthy infants. 💡The preliminary results of a clinical study performed at Cork University Maternity Hospital in collaboration between researchers at the INFANT research centre and Tyndall Institute @Biophotonics group have shown that GAs in Scattering Material Absorption Spectroscopy (GASMAS) enables oxygen detection inside the newborn babies and is a strong message to share with the scientific community to stimulate further clinical investigations and development of the technology. 🔍Find out more about the congress here
INFANT Researchers presenting at the WOA & BSACI 2022 Meeting
📣INFANT is at the World Allergy Organization & BSACI 2022 UK Conference 📅25th-27th April 2022, Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) The joint conference is a fantastic opportunity for BSACI members to learn from colleagues from around the world as they present current practice, important clinical challenges and recent advances in allergy diagnostics and management in adults and children 🗣Dr Dhanis Lad PhD Student gave the presentation: 💡Discussing short term moisturization from birth significantly decreases the rate if AD at 12m in a high-risk cohort. 🗣 Caoimhe Cronin, Medical Student and Research Assistant made the following presentations: 💡'Brands of Adrenaline Auto Injector in Ireland: What brands do caregivers use and are they adequately trained in their administration.' 💡'The Effect of COVID-19 on Caregiver Education: What do caregivers know about anaphylaxis management and have they received adequate training?' 🗣 Dr Juan Trujillo made an oral presentation of the poster: 💡'Teaching Children with Food Allergy to Manage Anaphylaxis: Caregivers’ perspective' 🔍Learn more about BSACI here https://www.bsaci.org/education-and-events/meetings/
First Lady of New Jersey Visits INFANT at CUMH
The INFANT Research Centre was delighted to host, together with CUMH, a visit with the First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy at CUMH earlier today. The First Lady and team met with members of the INFANT Research Centre and the clinical team at CUMH to discuss research and areas of potential collaboration. In 2019, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy initiated “Nurture NJ”, an initiative across the state of New Jersey which is dedicated to ensuring unbiassed care for women and children of all races and ethnicities and guaranteeing the reduction in maternal and infant mortality and morbidity The mission and research work of the INFANT Centre aligns with the planned work of Nurture NJ, which like INFANT is dedicated to advancing the health of mothers and children. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today between New Jersey Economic Development Authority and University College Cork which will provide a general framework for future collaboration between the Nurture NJ and INFANT. This collaboration will facilitate the sharing of research findings, clinical work, and best practices that will significantly support the work of both INFANT and Nurture NJ and lead to new and innovative scientific medical research in the area of maternal and child health. We are excited for the future of this INFANT and Nurture NJ collaboration.
INFANT Researchers Contribution to PAS 2022 Meeting
INFANT is delighted to be involved in the PAS 2022 Meeting in Denver 21-25 April. Members of the INFANT team will join thousands of physicians, researchers, and Allied health professionals from 60 + specialty areas as they come together to share research, explore new collaboratives, and experience the best the paediatric research community has to offer. Professor Geraldine Boylan and Professor Deirdre Murray are giving invited talks while other members of the INFANT team will be presenting oral and poster presentations. See a list of INFANT speakers and schedule of presentations below: Geraldine B. Boylan, PhD Professor of Neonatal Physiology University College Cork Director of the Infant Research Centre, University College Cork Presentation(s): Making the Most of Neonatal Brain Monitoring Sunday, April 24, 2022 11:35 AM – 11:50 AM US MT Role of EEG and machine learning algorithms Sunday, April 24, 2022 1:25 PM – 1:35 PM US MT Deirdre M. Murray, MB BAO BcH FRCPI FPAEDPhD Chair of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health University College Cork Presentation(s): Clinical importance of long term follow up Sunday, April 24, 2022 1:15 PM – 1:25 PM US MT Eugene Dempsey, FRCPI Horgan Chair in Neonatology University College Cork Poster(s): 463 - Early cerebral desaturation events in extremely preterm infants are associated with intraventricular haemorrhage in the first week of life Sunday, April 24, 2022 [...]
Dr Juan Trujillo’s Research Into Strategies That Help CMPA Patients Reintroduce Milk Into Their Diet
With the support of the National Dairy Council and Dairy Research Ireland, INFANT’s Dr Juan Trujillo, Senior Lecturer in UCC and Consultant paediatric allergist at Cork University Hospital, is the lead investigator on the COWS project, a study that aims to compare three different strategies that will help milk protein allergy (CMPA) patients reintroduce milk into their diet. Usually diagnosed before a child reaches their first birthday, CMPA is one of the major complaints in the allergy clinic and impacts the well-being of patients and their caregivers. Cow’s milk protein allergy is considered one of the major complaints in the allergic clinic. Usually diagnosed before a child reaches their first birthday, it increases the burden on the patient and their caregivers. The most common strategy employed in Ireland to treat CMPA is the Milk ladder, which incrementally reintroduces milk over time. However, in other parts of the world, strict avoidance of cow’s milk is practised, and only reintroduced several years later depending on laboratory allergy parameters. Alternative methods of treatment, including the administration of a limited amount of pasteurized milk in clinics, with subsequent doses administered at home, are employed in hospitals such as Miguel Servet in Zaragoza, a global leader in CMPA treatment. As such, Dr Trujillo’s research will examine the three different approaches used to treat CMPA in order to form a greater understanding [...]
PhD Profile: Tamara Escañuela Sánchez’s Study to Raise Awareness of and Reduce the Risk Factors Connected with Stillbirth
A graduate of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, INFANT PhD candidate, Tamara Escañuela Sánchez came to University College Cork to study under Professor Keelin O’Donoghue and develop a behaviour change intervention model that will raise awareness of and reduce the risk factors associated with stillbirth in Ireland. Tamara’s multidisciplinary supervisory team is composed by Dr. Karen Matvienko-Sikar from the School of Public Health in UCC; Dr. Sarah Meaney, from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre; Professor Molly Byrne lead of the Health Behaviour Change Research Group, School of Psychology at NUI Galway and Professor Keelin O’Donoghue lead of the Pregnancy Loss Research Group at Cork University Maternity Hospital. Funded by Science Foundation Ireland, Tamara’s research, titled The Relevant Study, examines the risk factors connected with stillbirth and ill health in babies such as substance abuse, sleep position, weight management and engagement with antenatal care. Ultimately, Tamara hopes that her study might one day lead to the introduction of an initiative, similar to the Saving Babies' Lives Care Bundle introduced by the NHS in the UK, that targets the modifiable risk factors for stillbirth in Ireland. I have been looking at various studies that examine the different risk factors associated with still births. The factors that I’m focussing on are substance abuse, sleep position, weight management and engagement with antenatal care services. Changing behaviours associated with those [...]
Liltoda wins UCC Innovation Award for CogniTOT Application
Liltoda Ltd, the first academic spin out to emanate from the INFANT Research Centre at University College Cork, has been awarded a GatewayUCC Sprint Award by Professor John O’Halloran, President of UCC. Launched in August 2021, Liltoda aims to develop and market novel technology-based solutions to the cognitive assessment of young children. Its first product, the CogniTOT application, offers touch-screen based cognitive assessment for children aged 18-30 months. It was developed through six years of research in the INFANT Centre, funded by both the Health Research Board and Science Foundation Ireland. The CogniTOT app is non-verbal and so suitable to use in children with speech delay or for whom English is not their first language. Now in its sixth year, GatewayUCC Sprint Awards recognises the UCC researchers and entrepreneurs who establish spin-out start-up companies. The Sprint Programme has been developed to help spin-out start-up companies overcome challenges they may encounter when starting their businesses. As part of the programme, pre and early-stage start-ups work with successful business mentors who help to bring businesses from the idea stage through to the eventual commercialisation of the product or service.
Soraia Ventura Presents Her Research at World Sleep Congress
INFANT PhD researcher, Soraia Ventura, presented her research at the World Sleep Congress in Rome on March 14 and 15. The Congress consistently gathers the best minds in sleep medicine and research for multiple days of scientific sessions and networking. A truly global meeting, 77 countries were represented at World Sleep 2019, the last in-person iteration of the annual event. This year’s event saw experts gather in Rome to deliver over 300 hours of courses, keynotes, symposia and abstract presentations. Soraia's oral presentation, titled, Infant Sleep as a Marker of Neurodevelopment, demonstrated how EEG analysis may be useful for early identification of the risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, allowing early intervention. Her poster, titled, Effect of a standardized massage routine on sleep EEG in ex-term infants at 4 months of age: A Randomised Control Trial, concluded that routine parent-led massage during the first 4 months of life is associated with distinct changes in brain function that may suggest more advanced brain maturation. Working under the supervision of Professor Geraldine Boylan and Dr. Sean Mathieson, Soraia is conducting her research as part of the BabySMART project.
INFANT Seminar Series: Dr Mark O’Sullivan to Discuss Neonatal EEG Monitoring – Hardware, AI and Medical Device Design
Our next INFANT seminar will be this Friday, March 25th at 12pm, when Dr Mark O'Sullivan will present "Neonatal EEG monitoring - hardware, AI and medical device design". Dr O'Sullivan will present updates on the Neurobell Project, which aims to develop a portable neonatal EEG monitor with seizure detection, including methodologies for medical device design in a quality and regulatory compliant manner. Lastly, Dr O'Sullivan will present new research from the Delphi Project on the design of an artefact detection algorithm for neonatal EEG and its impact on automated HIE grading.