Professor Graeme Polglase, NHMRC Leadership Fellow (L1)
One million newborns die each year due to preterm birth and birth asphyxia, and 50 per cent of these die on their day of birth. My research studies what goes wrong at birth with the goal of identifying and developing new ways to reduce newborn mortality.
Areas of interest
Birth asphyxia Cerebral Palsy Fetal growth restriction (FGR) Preterm birth
Research group
Biography
Professor Graeme Polglase is a fetal and neonatal physiologist whose research focuses on understanding the physiological mechanisms underpinning the transition at birth in preterm or compromised newborns, including those born hypoxic, growth restricted or exposed to inflammation in the womb.
His research explores how these mechanisms lead to adverse outcomes in newborns including diseases such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cardiovascular disease and neurological pathologies such as Cerebral Palsy. Through this work, Professor Polglase is developing interventions focused on the delivery room, to reduce morbidity and mortality in these vulnerable newborns.
In particular, he focuses on the respiratory and cardiovascular transition at birth in preterm and compromised newborns, strategies to improve newborn resuscitation and development of novel therapies to reduce lung, heart and brain inflammation and injury.
Professor Polglase has made significant contributions to the understanding of the respiratory and cardiovascular transition at birth and how, if compromised, these can lead to multi-organ inflammation and injury.
His research has been translated to more than 30 clinical trials and has changed national and international newborn resuscitation guidelines and clinical practice, including ‘Helping Babies Breathe’ which provides the guidelines for developing countries worldwide and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) and WHO Newborn Resuscitation Guidelines.
Notably his findings on lung aeration prior to umbilical cord clamping have led to clinical trials that are aimed at reducing rates of mortality and brain injury globally, including in resource limited settings, where the majority of neonatal death and disabilities occur.
Professor Polglase has secured over $23 million in funding ($9 million as CIA) in grant and fellowship funding for his research with national and international collaborators.
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