Fetal and Newborn Brain Physiology

Brain injury before and around birth has lifelong consequences, making prevention a major challenge for modern healthcare. The Galinsky Laboratory investigates how inflammation, infection and oxygen deprivation disrupt brain development and translates these discoveries into innovative diagnostics, brain-monitoring technologies and therapies that improve outcomes for vulnerable babies and their families.

Research group

Overview

We are developing the next generation of therapies and technologies to prevent brain injury in babies before and shortly after birth.

Our research focuses on understanding how inflammation, infection and oxygen deprivation disrupt brain development and contribute to lifelong disabilities such as cerebral palsy. By combining neuroscience, physiology, bioengineering and artificial intelligence, we identify new therapeutic targets, develop neuroprotective treatments and create innovative tools to monitor brain health earlier and more accurately.

From anti-inflammatory therapies to AI-enabled fetal brain monitoring, our goal is simple: to ensure every baby has the best possible start to life.

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Diseases we research

Areas of focus

Magnesium sulphate for fetal/newborn neuroprotection
Answering how too much inflammation triggers perinatal brain injury
Optimising interleukin-1 receptor antagonist to protect the preterm brain
Developing next generation anti-inflammatory therapies for newborn brain protection
Improving brain injury detection using advanced MRI and phase contrast CT
Identifying brain injury biomarkers using electroencephalography
Brain or brawn? Is creatine an effective intervention for fetal /newborn brain injury

Research Group Head | Dr Robert Galinsky

Too much inflammation in a newborn brain is a primary cause of life-long cognitive, language and movement disorders. My research studies the mechanisms that disrupt fetal and newborn brain development to identify targeted treatments and methods to detect brain injury faster for better outcomes.

Meet the team

News from the lab

21 May 2026

AI-based fetal monitoring to prevent perinatal brain injury

See more news articles about Fetal and Newborn Brain Physiology

Student opportunities

Collaborators

Publication highlights

Galinsky R, Dhillon SK, Kelly SB, Wassink G, Davidson JO, Lear CA, van den Heuij LG, Bennet L, Gunn AJ (2023). Magnesium sulphate reduces tertiary gliosis but does not improve EEG recovery or white or grey matter cell survival after asphyxia in preterm fetal sheep. J Physiol. 2023 Mar 31.
Green EA, Metz D, Galinsky R, Atkinson R, Skuza EM, Clark M, Gunn AJ, Kirkpatrick CM, Hunt RW, Berger PJ, Nold-Petry CA, Nold MF (2022). Anakinra Pilot – a clinical trial to demonstrate safety, feasibility and pharmacokinetics of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist in preterm infants. Front Immunol. 2022 Oct 27;13:1022104.
Kelly SB, Green E, Hunt RW, Nold-Petry CA, Gunn AJ, Nold MF, Galinsky R (2023). Interleukin-1: an important target for perinatal neuroprotection? Neural Regen Res. 2023 Jan;18(1):47-50.
Stojanovska V, Atta J, Kelly SB, Zahra VA, Matthews-Staindl E, Nitsos I, Moxham A, Pham Y, Hooper SB, Herlenius E, Galinsky R, Polglase GR (2022). Increased Prostaglandin E2 in Brainstem Respiratory Centers Is Associated With Inhibition of Breathing Movements in Fetal Sheep Exposed to Progressive Systemic Inflammation. Front Physiol. 2022 Mar 3;13:841229.
Tran NT, Kelly SB, Snow RJ, Walker DW, Ellery SJ, Galinsky R (2021). Assessing Creatine Supplementation for Neuroprotection against Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy: A Systematic Review of Perinatal and Adult Pre-Clinical Studies. Cells. 2021 Oct 27;10(11):2902.
Kelly SB, Stojanovska V, Zahra VA, Moxham A, Miller SL, Moss TJM, Hooper SB, Nold MF, Nold-Petry CA, Dean JM, Bennet L, Polglase GR, Gunn AJ, Galinsky R (2021). Interleukin-1 blockade attenuates white matter inflammation and oligodendrocyte loss after progressive systemic lipopolysaccharide exposure in near-term fetal sheep. J Neuroinflammation. 2021 Aug 31;18(1):189.
Galinsky R, van de Looij Y, Mitchell N, Dean JM, Dhillon SK, Yamaguchi K, Lear CA, Wassink G, Davidson JO, Nott F, Zahra VA, Kelly SB, King VJ, Sizonenko SV, Bennet L, Gunn AJ (2020). Magnetic Resonance Imaging Correlates of White Matter Gliosis and Injury in Preterm Fetal Sheep Exposed to Progressive Systemic Inflammation. Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Nov 24;21(23):8891.
Disdier C, Awa F, Chen X, Dhillon SK, Galinsky R, Davidson JO, Lear CA, Bennet L, Gunn AJ, Stonestreet BS (2020). Lipopolysaccharide-induced changes in the neurovascular unit in the preterm fetal sheep brain. J Neuroinflammation. 2020 May 28;17(1):167.
Galinsky R, Dhillon SK, Dean JM, Davidson JO, Lear CA, Wassink G, Nott F, Kelly SB, Fraser M, Yuill C, Bennet L, Gunn AJ (2020). Tumor necrosis factor inhibition attenuates white matter gliosis after systemic inflammation in preterm fetal sheep. J Neuroinflammation. 2020 Mar 23;17(1):92.
Nott F, Jane Pillow J, Dahl M, Kelly SB, Melville J, McDonald C, Nitsos I, Lim R, Wallace EM, Jenkin G, Polglase GR, Moss TJ, Galinsky R (2020). Brain inflammation and injury at 48 h is not altered by human amnion epithelial cells in ventilated preterm lambs. Pediatr Res. 2020 Jul;88(1):27-37.
Stojanovska V, Atik A, Nitsos I, Sköld B, Barton SK, Zahra VA, Rodgers K, Hooper SB, Polglase GR, Galinsky R (2018) Effects of intrauterine inflammation on cortical grey matter of near-term lambs. Front Pediatr 6:145

Our research group is keen to discuss funding opportunities

Support our research

Fetal and Newborn Brain Physiology

Overview

Diseases we research

Areas of focus

Research Group Head | Dr Robert Galinsky

Meet the team

News from the lab

More evidence that anakinra helps repair the newborn brain

Too much of a good thing: 100% oxygen damages newborn lungs

A tiny baby, a big fight for life

Pregnancy infection damages the fetal brain – but which infection?

Does intrauterine inflammation cause lung injury?

Understanding the mechanics of perinatal brain inflammation

Creatine & pregnancy – good for baby’s brain

AI-based fetal monitoring to prevent perinatal brain injury

Student opportunities

Collaborators

Publication highlights

Our research group is keen to discuss funding opportunities