Groundbreaking Collaboration

We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation to explore the effects of sleep on baby brain development.

INFANT, a world leading Science Foundation Ireland funded research Centre at University College Cork (UCC) and Cork University Maternity Hospital, announced today that it will collaborate with Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd. for the Baby Enrichment Research Programme, ENRICH, to explore the effects of sleep on baby brain development. The collaboration was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation. The announcement comes at the same time as World Sleep Day, an awareness programme engaging 72 countries around the world in a global call to action about the importance of sleep.

Understanding Sleep

The ENRICH research programme aims to understand the effects of sleep behaviours on the cognitive development of infants. Results from the study aim to help to promote early and lifelong health as sleep is essential for brain development in infants. This research programme will examine detailed information about sleep in infants using both parental observations and objective brain activity measurement (EEG).

Launching the ENRICH project, Prof Geraldine Boylan, co-director of the INFANT Centre said, “this unique collaboration is a fantastic opportunity. It will combine Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc.’s research on the importance of multi-sensorial experiences for babies with INFANT’s international expertise in infant brain monitoring and assessment. We know that sleep and sensory stimulation are extremely important for babies and the ENRICH project will provide us with information about the effects of lifestyle, sensory stimulation and sleep behaviours on the cognitive development of infants.”

Crucial Evidence

This international study will invite 200 parents to enroll their babies to the study over twelve months at both Cork University Maternity Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. The babies will be monitored until they are 18 months old, providing crucial evidence on the importance of sleep and facilitate the rapid and direct translation of the ENRICH research findings to the market.

Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said, “I welcome the collaboration between Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. and INFANT. ENRICH will provide researchers with evidence to promote simple interventions in infancy that enhance brain development. This research has the potential to have enormous impact in terms of lifelong health and well-being. We are very happy to see Ireland’s health researchers continuing to work with industry and foster research and innovation in our health care services.”

Evidence from the ENRICH study may inform intervention programmes and new product development to support the optimal environment and habits for early days and lifelong health.

“If You Go into the Wards Today …”

This week, children from three local schools in Cork brought their teddy bears to CUH’s new outpatient paediatric department. These junior doctors were giving their cuddly patients a check up at our Teddy Bear Hospital.

Organised by Cork University Hospital, the INFANT Centre and UCC’s Medical Society, the Teddy Bear Hospital introduces children to medical instruments and procedures in a fun learning environment. After an initial consultation with their brave teddy, the children decided on a treatment with the help of specialist CUH nurses, INFANT researchers and student doctors from UCC’s Medical Society.

Introducing Children to Doctors

Prof. Jonathan Hourihane, Professor of Paediatrics at CUH and Principal Investigator at INFANT, explained why the Teddy Bear Hospital was such a success:

“The aim of the Teddy Bear Hospital is to introduce children to doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals in the hospital, through the eyes of their teddy. This is done in a friendly and entertaining way so they will have a better idea of what to expect if they ever need to visit to the hospital, or will have helped them adjust to experiences they may have already had here or elsewhere. It’s also important for them to see that we do research in the hospital to develop new treatments and improve care for patients. We are delighted to be opening the new outpatient department and research centre space in this way and we thank the schools for engaging so positively.”

Doctors Fur a Day

Our thanks to the junior classes of Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh (Caliíní), Sunday’s Well NS and St. John The Apostle Boys NS. Everyone was a bit tired going back to school and work, but it was all for a worthy paws.

Three new studies from the Pregnancy Loss Research Group have been published surrounding the impact of stillbirth and intrapartum death.

Led by our PI, Dr Keelin O’Donoghue, the research explores the impact on parents and on healthcare professionals with recommendations for how to improve care.

New research from the Pregnancy Loss Research Group at INFANT explored the impact of how bad news was communicated to parents following a diagnosis of stillbirth.

Interviews were conducted with 17 parents who were bereaved following stillbirth.

The researchers found that the way the diagnosis was communicated was profoundly important.

The parents recalled in detail where and how the bad news was broken to them, and language the clinician used. If the clinicians used diversionary techniques, it created a sense of mistrust especially if the parents felt that information was being withheld.

The study highlights the importance of language, sensitivity, and the environment in which the news is delivered. The researchers recommend that clinicians engage in patient-focused communication training in order to help them communicate in an open, sensitive and honest way.

Paper Available here: Communication Skills in Obstetrics: What Can We Learn from Bereaved Parents?

In further research by the Pregnancy Loss Ressearch Group, researchers found that the event of a stillbirth brought about challenging spiritual and theological questions.

All of the parents interviewed felt their faith was challenged and most parents reported that their spiritual needs were not adequately addressed while they were in hospital.

The study reveals the depth of spiritual struggle that parents bereaved following stillbirth experience.

The researchers’ recommendation is that spiritual care is provided as part of comprehensive perinatal bereavement care in the obstetric setting.

Paper available here: The Spiritual and Theological Challenges of Stillbirth for Bereaved Parents

In addition, a separate study found that intrapartum death had a profound impact on healthcare providers, including shock, guilt, sadness, anger and self-blame. The study found that a more proactive approach towards providing emotional support for HCPs was needed. The researchers recommend mandatory education sessions on self-care and training in adverse outcome management.

Paper available here: Healthcare professionals’ response to intrapartum death: a cross-sectional study

Information

The Conference will take place over two days, Saturday and Sunday, with a mixture of plenary and concurrent sessions from invited speakers and selected presentations from conference abstracts.

Pre-conference workshops will be held on Friday 22nd of September followed by the ISA Official Opening Ceremony & Welcome Reception.

Key Dates

Abstract Submission Deadline: January 19th – April 21st 2017

Early Bird Registration Deadline: 2nd June 2017

Confirmed Speakers

Professor Fran Boyle
The University of Queensland, Australia
Dr Molly Byrne
National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Professor Alan Cameron
University of Glasgow, Scotland
Dr Myra Cullinane
Dublin District Coroner, Ireland
Professor Jane Dahlstrom
The Australian National University
Dr Mary Devins
Our lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, Ireland
Professor Soo Downe
University of Central Lancashire, UK
Professor Elizabeth Draper
University of Leicester, United Kingdom
Professor Richard Greene
National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre,
Ireland
Dr Alexander Heazell
The University of Manchester, UK
Professor Mary Higgins
University College Dublin, Ireland
Professor Stephen Kennedy
University of Oxford, UK
Professor Louise Kenny
INFANT, Ireland
Professor Joan Lalor
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Professor Stephen Liben
McGill University, Canada
Professor Fergal Malone
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Dr Tracy Mills
The University of Manchester, UK
Mr Bryan Nolan
Irish Hospice Foundation
Professor Michael Turner
University College Dublin, Ireland
Dr Jane Warland
University of South Australia
Ms Aleena Wojcieszek
The University of Queensland, Australia

Dr Andrey Temko, INFANT researcher, has won a prestigious international competition for his work in predicting seizures in the human brain through long-term EEG recordings.

Highest Accuracy

Together with data scientists from Ornon, France; Curitiba, Brazil; and Minneapolis, US, Dr Temko developed an artificial intelligence solution that showed the highest accuracy among nearly 500 competing teams from around the world.

Seizure Forcasting

The aim of the Kaggle event was to develop seizure forecasting systems with the potential to help patients with epilepsy lead more normal lives. Epilepsy afflicts nearly 1% of the world’s population, and is characterised by the occurrence of spontaneous seizures.

Huge Achievement

INFANT Centre co-director  Prof Geraldine Boylan congratulated Andriy on this prestigious win, noting “this is a huge achievement at an international level. We are really delighted to have Dr Temko’s unique expertise here in the INFANT centre. He has used his skills in machine learning to develop a novel computer programme that can automatically detect seizures in newborn babies who are  in intensive care.

Machine Learning

This computer programme was translated into a cot-side medical device and a  clinical trial of this device has just been completed in eight centres across Europe (www.anserstudy.com).  Machine learning is contributing hugely to modern healthcare, particularly in supporting clinical decision making. At the INFANT centre, a large area of our research is focused on using machine learning to develop devices that can provide information on brain heath in order to improve outcomes for babies who may have had a difficult start in life.”

The challenge was organised and sponsored by the National Institute of Health, American Epilepsy Society and Melbourne University.

We are incredibly proud of Andrey’s achievement and look forward to the next steps!

The Directors and Executive Management Team are delighted to announce that Professor Declan Devane will join the INFANT Centre as Principal Investigator in the INFANT Team.

Exciting Expansion

Prof Devane’s joining of INFANT marks a very exciting time of expansion in the centre. Prof Louise Kenny noted, “Declan brings a wealth of experience and knowledge which will extend the research areas of our centre.  He is a leading expert in his field and we are really looking forward to working together to expand the impact that INFANT can have for maternity care”. Prof Geraldine Boylan added, “Declan has an international record of excellence in teaching and research which will greatly help us to achieve our goal of improving health outcomes for mothers and their children around the world”.

Wealth of Experience

Declan is Professor of Midwifery at NUI Galway and the Director of the Health Research Board – Trials Methodology Research Network (HRB-TMRN). Declan has a particular interest in the implementation and evaluation of models of maternity care, and on methods of fetal monitoring. He is an expert in conducting randomised trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. He has published over 110 papers including numerous Cochrane systematic reviews predominantly in the field of fetal assessment.

Meeting Global Needs

The Vice President for Research and Innovation at UCC, Professor Anita Maguire welcomed the addition of this talented researcher to the innovative INFANT Research Centre, stating: “The expertise Prof Devane is bringing to the INFANT team will further support the more rapid translation of important research to support mothers and babies, and work towards the development of solutions to unmet global needs in perinatal healthcare.”

Warm Welcome

Prof Devane noted, “I’m genuinely delighted to have the opportunity to work more closely with Louise and Geraldine and all the team at the INFANT centre. I look forward to contributing and hope I can live up to the expectations!”

The team is looking forward to working with Declan, not least because he is a World Guinness Record holder (for the longest open saltwater scuba dive in cold water……)!

We warmly welcome him to the team!

On 31 January, four of the Principal Investigators of the BASELINE Study came together in the Aula Maxima at UCC to discuss what we have learned after finishing all the 5-year assessments for the children enrolled in the study.

Downloads of the PIs presentations are available at the bottom of the page.

The aims of BASELINE were to:

• Explore the prevalence of food allergy and eczema
• Investigate maternal and neonatal Vitamin D status
• Examine the metabolic and developmental effects of IUGR
• Build a foundation for studying the cohort through childhood and into adulthood.

5 centres collaborated:

• Food and Nutritional Sciences, UCC
• Dermatology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College Dublin
• Obstetrics & Gynaecology, UCC
• Paediatrics & Child Health, College of Medicine & Health, UCC
• Neonatal Brain Research Group, UCC

The study was funded by the National Children’s Research Centre.

We are hoping to carry on the BASELINE study, and meet with the children and parents again at 10 years.

Sincere thanks to all involved: to the families and our funders for making it possible!

INFANT is delighted to be hosting the 10^th International Conference on Brain Monitoring and Neuroprotection in the Newborn, 5-7 October 2017 in Kerry, Ireland. This conference provides a state of the art forum for discussion of current research and clinical care in newborn brain monitoring and neuroprotection.

With an international faculty of leading opinion leaders, this conference provides a unique opportunity to hear brain monitoring and neuroprotection discussed comprehensively with an intersection between research and evidence-based clinical care at a time when both fields are growing rapidly. Accompanying workshops are an integral part of the conference and are designed to guide and provide a unique training experience.

Registration will be available on

http://newbornbrain2017.com/

The international conference faculty have been announced: http://newbornbrain2017.com/faculty/  Co-Chaired by our director, Prof Geraldine Boylan.

Summary

Little Book of Irish Science: 100 Things You Should Know showcases the groundbreaking research taking place in Ireland.

Read about INFANT Centre projects and innovations on pages 1, 75 and 76.

Read on ISSUU: