Monash Heath Award for improving lung outcomes for premature babies

Dr Atul Malhotra and Dr Rebecca Lim

The team behind a world-first trial using cells from the human placenta to repair the lungs of premature babies has been awarded a Monash Health Award for improving healthcare through clinical research.

Neonatologist Dr Atul Malhotra, and researchers Dr Rebecca Lim and Professor Euan Wallace, received the award.

The clinical trial was the culmination of more than 10 years research from the research and clinical team at Hudson Institute, Monash Children’s Hospital and the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (Monash University).

The annual Awards were held at Monash Medical Centre in June to celebrate the outstanding achievements, excellence and innovation of staff at Monash Health.

Dr Malhotra says, “I am really excited to be part of this study, which is a perfect example of bench-to-bedside research, enabled by the collaborations between researchers and clinicians.”

The team conducted the first Phase I trial to test the safety of cells derived from the placental amniotic membrane, in six premature infants with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

BPD or chronic lung disease of prematurity affects 50 to 60 per cent of extremely premature babies and starts when premature or immature lungs are exposed to life-saving ventilation.

The study established the safety of the therapy, paving the way for a larger Phase II trial, to determine the optimum cell dosage and frequency involving 24 extremely premature babies at risk of developing BPD. This study has recently started recruitment at Monash Health.