Biomarkers, Neurodevelopment and Preterm Infants

Approximately 2% of neonates in the US are born very preterm. Preterm births are associated with impaired cognitive, language and motor function, and increased risk for autism spectrum disorders. Epidemiological studies indicate a dose-response relationship between gestational age at delivery and cognitive impairments, with the most immature of newborns being the most susceptible to developmental delays. Sensitive and reproducible biomarkers of long-term neurocognitive impairments are currently lacking. The investigators seek to identify epigenetic markers that mediate the relationship between adverse prematurity-related exposures and neurocognitive impairments. The overarching hypothesis of this proposal is that DNA methylation profiles of CD34+ hematopoetic progenitor and stem cells from very preterm infants can be used as a risk-stratifying biomarker for predicting neurocognitive impairment in childhood.