'Jennifer Brown Research Fund'
PiggyBankKids is a charity which
was founded by Sarah Brown after she and her husband Gordon lost
their little daughter Jennifer at the age of 10 days. Since PiggyBankKids
was established in 2002, it has grown to cover a number of charitable
projects creating new opportunities for children and young people.
The early support for the Jennifer Brown Research Fund has been
far greater than expected allowing a new research laboratory,
named after Jennifer, to be based at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.
With an initial three years' funding for four new ground-breaking
projects, the charity have been bowled over by the enthusiasm
and professionalism of the highly specialist team recruited by
Professor Andrew Calder and his board.
Dr ANNE ARMSTRONG, who is an obstetrician,
is using a new technique called dermal micro-dialysis to investigate
why women develop pre-eclampsia, a disease unique to pregnancy
which can cause death and serious illness for mothers and babies.
Dr SARAH STOCK is also an obstetrician
and is looking at the placentas of women who go into labour early
or at the correct time. Minor infection in the genetal tract can
cause labour to start too early. Some women are more resistant
to these infections and this reduces their susceptibility to premature
labour. If Sarah can identify some of the factors involved in
this resistance, it will increase the understanding of premature
labour, and may help to prevent some babies from being born too
eary.
Dr CATHERINE DHALIWAL is a neonatologist
(a doctor who looks after new born babies) and is investigating
the relationship between weight gain in the womb, weight gain
after birth and subsequent blindness. Babies born prematurely
are at high risk of becoming blind.
Dr HANNAH SHORE is also a neonatologist
and is investigating the effects of oxygen on the brains of premature
babies. As well as blindness, premature babies are at increased
risk of developing cerebral palsy and learning difficulties in
later life.
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