Neonatology Research and Clinical Trials

Our research — in the lab and with patients — improves the care we give your child. Recent breakthroughs have made it possible for babies born very early or with complex conditions to survive. Our neonatologists lead pioneering research so our tiny patients don’t just live — they thrive.

Babies in our care can take part in research studies of promising new treatments. These studies are called clinical trials.

Seattle Children’s is the only member of the Children’s Hospital Neonatal Consortium (CHNC) in the Pacific Northwest. The group tracks quality and outcomes across Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) to improve care for babies born very early or with complex conditions.

Many of our neonatologists do research through Seattle Children’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR), which works to transform research into therapies that doctors and patients can use in daily life.

Research Leadership

Seattle Children’s Neonatology research leadership team includes:

• Dr. Rachel Umoren, associate division head for research
• Dr. Mihai Puia-Dumitrescu, director of clinical research

For more information, contact NICU Research.

Rapid Genetic Testing for Precise Diagnosis

Many babies in the NICU have medical conditions caused by changes in genes. Identifying a specific genetic cause helps us diagnose babies more precisely and start the right treatment, personalized to your child’s condition. 

Based on our research with rapid genome sequencing (rGS), we now offer rGS as a first-line genetic test for all our NICU patients unless their clinical findings are fully explained by physical trauma during birth, complications of prematurity, infection or a preexisting precise genetic diagnosis. Offering rGS to all NICU patients, with relatively few exceptions, differs from our previous practice of offering rGS only to those suspected of having a specific genetic condition. 

This new approach has significantly increased the number of babies receiving a diagnosis and shortened the time to diagnosis. The healthcare team receives initial rGS results within 7 days and final results in 14 days or less. Early rGS enables the team to start treatment for a critically ill baby before their genetic disorder causes many complications. Our study showed that by making rGS the new standard of care for most babies, access to testing is comparable across racial groups, with significantly more non-white and Black infants receiving a genetic diagnosis.

Read the SeqFirst-neo study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. 

BPD Research

Seattle Children’s physician-scientists do research in the lab and in the clinic to improve care and quality of life for children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). This long-lasting damage to the lungs mainly affects babies born very early (prematurely) who needed extra oxygen at birth. Seattle Children’s BPD researchers include Drs. Laurie Eldredge, Steve Welty, Sarah Handley and Sara Berkelhamer and Hannah Cody, PA. 

Premature birth accounts for 10% of live births and disrupts normal airway development. Research at Seattle Children’s Center for Respiratory Biology and Therapeutics is laying the groundwork for developing therapies to help premature babies achieve and sustain normal lung function. Contact [email protected] for questions or inquiries. 

CDH Research

Seattle Children’s Neonatology team leads research to improve care and quality of life for children born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). We have multiple active research studies, such as “Exploring Quality of Life for CDH Survivors.”

We belong to the CDH Study Group, a national registry of more than 90 hospitals collecting data about CDH outcomes. We also participate in national research through the CHNC CDH Group. 

CDH program directors Dr. Mihai Puia-Dumitrescu and Dr. Rebecca Stark and Nurse Practitioner Carrie Foster do research to improve care for children born with this complex condition.

Neuro NICU Research

Our neonatologists are internationally known for their work to protect and heal the brains of babies who did not get enough oxygen at birth (called birth asphyxia or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy/HIE). At this time, whole-body cooling (therapeutic hypothermia) is the only treatment that can improve outcomes for babies with moderate or severe HIE.

We are committed to improving treatments for babies with HIE so they have the best possible chance of a healthy life. At Seattle Children’s, babies with HIE receive care from our neonatal neurocritical (Neuro NICU) care team led by Dr. Ulrike Mietzsch (neonatology) and Dr. Niranjana Natarajan (neurology). 

Video Telemedicine Consults for Hospitals Without NICUs

Seattle Children’s is part of a national study that aims to lower the risk of early death and illness for at-risk babies born in hospitals without a NICU. About 10% of newborns need help to begin breathing after birth because of prematurity, brain injury or other conditions. Their risk of death and serious health problems is higher if they’re born in a hospital without a NICU. 

Using video telemedicine, neonatologists from Seattle Children’s and other NICU hubs connect to community hospital teams caring for at-risk newborns. Real-time, audio-video telemedicine consults by a neonatologist (called teleneonatology) bring resuscitation expertise to the bedside more effectively than a brief telephone consult, which is the current practice. This allows a neonatologist at Seattle Children’s to see the newborn and provide step-by-step guidance to the community hospital care team. 

Researchers will assess how teleneonatology affects delivery-room care and the health and outcomes of at-risk babies born in hospitals without a NICU.