Protecting the newborn brain at birth

Each year 4 million babies are starved of oxygen at birth, leading to permanent brain injury. Treatment options for these babies are limited, particularly in low income countries. The set of studies described in this thesis considered new neuroprotective therapies for babies that are starved of oxygen at birth. Using newborn lambs, we examined three treatments; umbilical cord blood cells collected at birth, body cooling and administering the natural antioxidant melatonin. Results showed that novel treatment strategies could reduce permanent brain injury in newborn lambs and these could be applied in either low or high income birth settings worldwide.