Congratulations to Dr Atul Malhotra on receiving the ANZNN Neonatal Research Award

Dr Atul Malhotra

Congratulations to Dr Atul Malhotra on receiving the Neonatal Research Award from the Australia New Zealand Neonatal Network (ANZNN), the peak body which collects neonatal outcomes data across ANZ.


This award was given in recognition of the first-in-human safety study on placental stem cells in chronic lung disease in preterm babies conducted by Dr Malhotra, along with Professor Euan Wallace and A/Prof Rebecca Lim from the Ritchie Centre.

The study was published in the Stem Cells Translational Medicine journal in September 2018, and received international media attention. The group has now commenced a multi-centre dose-escalation study of placental stem cells for prevention of chronic lung disease in babies.  It is planned that this will be followed by a randomised controlled trial to prove efficacy.

Speaking of the likely clinical outcome of his study, Dr Malhotra said, "This places Monash at the forefront of finding a potential cure for this critical and debilitating illness in preterm infants, and potentially paves the way for cellular therapy to be a mainstay in the prevention and treatment of a variety of diseases that claim lives of many preterm infants. Placental stem cells may also benefit other organ injury and similar trials are planned, using these cells for infants at high risk of preterm brain injury once a safe and effective dose is established".

This award from ANZNN, sponsored by Emerge Health, Dr Malhotra said, "Is an excellent endorsement of the ground breaking work my colleagues and I are doing in regenerative therapies for neonatal conditions.

I am honoured and privileged to receive this award".

Dr Atul Malhotra is a consultant neonatologist at Monash Newborn and a research scientist at The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research. He is also a senior lecturer in the Department of Paediatrics, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University and is the current recipient of a RACP Foundation Research Fellowship.

Reference
Rebecca Lim*, Atul Malhotra*, Jean Tan, Siow Teng Chan, Sinnee Lau, Dandan Zhu, Joanne C. Mockler and Euan M. Wallace. First‐In‐Human Administration of Allogeneic Amnion Cells in Premature Infants With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: A Safety Study. Stem Cells Transl Med. 2018 Sep; 7(9): 628–635.
*co-lead authors