Yvonne Eiby

Early tranfusion to prevent hypovolemia in preterm newborns

PhD Scholarship

The Perinatal Research Centre at The University of Queensland, Australia, is currently seeking a PhD candidate for an NHMRC funded research project testing early transfusion in preterm neonates. The successful candidate will be located at the UQ Centre for Clinical Research on the Royal Brisbane and Womens’ Hospital campus at Herston, Brisbane. A UQ funded Scholarship is available and more information regarding eligibility, stipend, and how to apply can be found at:

https://scholarships.uq.edu.au/scholarship/earmarked-scholarships-support-category-1-project-grants

Project description

There are currently no clinical interventions that effectively prevent cardiovascular deterioration in premature babies. This project will use an established pre-clinical model to test the efficacy and safety of early transfusion for preventing hypovolemia and maintaining oxygen supply to the brain. Studying the cardiovascular and lymphatic physiology of preterm neonates using a large animal pre-clinical model is essential to the rational design of effective interventions to manage blood volume. This is a fully funded project.

The Team

This multidisciplinary team, led by Dr Yvonne Eiby, is comprised of neonatologists, vets and scientists. Our research improves the clinical care of preterm infants in order to protect the developing brain.

Pre-clinical model

The PhD candidate will gain hands on experience in our pre-clinical tertiary level neonatal intensive care unit and be trained in intensive care techniques such as intubation, ventilation and catheterization. Previous work with animals in not necessary. The candidate will also be trained in laboratory techniques as required by the project.

For further information contact: Yvonne Eiby (y.eiby@uq.edu.au)

Lymphatic function in preterm piglets

There is very little known about the lymphatic function of premature babies. We have shown in our preterm piglet model that there are substantial reductions in lymphatic flow over the first day of life. This project will investigate how clinical management strategies influence flow rates with a view to develop novel interventions to reduce the high rates of disability in this vulnerable population.