Caretti earns PERF research grant
The Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation has awarded the 2024 PERF CNS Elterman Research Grant to Viola Caretti, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics.
The PERF CNS Elterman Research Grant is awarded to early-stage investigators who are within 10 years of completing their degree or end of post-graduate clinical training and, as a principal investigator, have not received an independent grant from the NIH or equivalent major funding from another funding organization. The grant supports clinical or basic science research by a child neurologist or developmental pediatrician and awards $150,000 over two years.
Caretti’s research focuses on neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (nHIE), a severe condition that occurs when a newborn’s brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen and blood flow during birth. Around 700,000 infants die each year, and those who do survive experience long-term disabilities that impact quality of life.
The grant will allow Caretti to study neutrophils and their response to brain injury in neonates. Neutrophils, according to Caretti, are the most abundant immune cells in newborns and are the first to react to brain injury, but they can either promote injury or promote tissue repair. Additionally, these cells react differently in both male and female newborns.
“Our findings reveal that female neonates have a much higher number of neutrophils than males following nHIE,” Caretti said. “Neutrophils can either promote inflammation (and injury), or they can promote tissue repair. Initially, neutrophils in both male and female newborns respond similarly to brain injury. However, our preliminary data show that, over time, neutrophils in females shift toward a reparative state, while in males, they become more likely to cause injury.”
Caretti said that understanding the sex differences could lead to more effective and tailored treatments for male and female infants affected by nHIE and could lead to better outcomes for thousands of affected children.
Established in 2004, the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation to support research in pediatric epilepsy and other pediatric neurologic conditions. PERF also aims to establish multicenter collaborations with investigators to advance the understanding and treatment of pediatric neurological disorders, as well as the recruitment, education, and mentorship of physicians to develop and apply research skills in the field of child neurology.