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An optical neuroimaging device to understand the mechanisms of brain damage in infants born with severe congenital heart defects.

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Our aims and goals

About a half-million babies are born every year with congenital heart defects (CHD), a structural defect in the heart or great vessels that can drastically affect the life of the patients. Many of them suffer some kind of neurodevelopment disabilities. We want to improve our understanding of its origins and build the right tools that can alert us when there is a risk of damage to the brain.

As the brain of the newborn is very different compared to that of the adult, it is difficult to study the origins of its injuries and develop therapies and management strategies. We will create an advanced photonics-based neuro-imaging device to understand the mechanisms underlying brain damage in congenital heart-defects infants.

How will we do it?

We are a multi-disciplinary and collaborative 4 and a half year project, funded by the European Union, with six institutions in three different countries. Our project brings together end-users, specialists in the treatment and management of infants; the academy, physicists, and engineers experts in biophotonics; and industry, experts in medical, monitoring devices, and biophotonics standards.

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