# Trajectories of Lung Function in Extremely Premature Infants

> **NIH NIH K23** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $158,958

## Abstract

Project Summary
Prematurity, which affects 10-12% of all infants born in the United States, disrupts normal lung development
and impairs lung function. This occurs because premature infants are born during a critical window of rapid
lung development that typically occurs during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. In contrast to healthy term
infants, whose lung function increases throughout childhood following predictable trajectories, peaking in early
adulthood before declining. For premature infants, significantly less is known about the trajectories of their lung
function, though it is clear that prematurity is a major risk factor for adult lung disease. To date, neither the
trajectories of lung function in premature infants, nor the factors that can alter them, have been objectively
measured with infant pulmonary function tests (PFTs). This proposal will examine this perinatal origin of adult
lung disease in premature infants by using PFTs to quantify these trajectories of lung function and the effects
of modifying factors on those trajectories. The Specific Aims of this proposal are to 1) define the trajectory of
changes in lung function in premature infants during the early postnatal period; 2) to compare the lung function
of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) to those without BPD; and 3) to investigate the impact of
modifying factors, including prenatal maternal smoking and postnatal infections on altering these trajectories.
These aims are designed to test the hypotheses that 1) like healthy term infants, the lung function of premature
infants improves over time, tracking along predictable trajectories; 2) that the lung function of premature infants
with BPD will diverge from those without BPD during this period; and 3) that modifying factors including
prenatal maternal smoking and postnatal infections can further modify lung function. Understanding these
critical aspects of premature lung function will allow for the identification of infants whose trajectory of lung
function is abnormal, permitting intervention during this critical window of rapid lung development to improve
long term lung function. The Career Developement Objectives in this proposal are designed to achieve three
specific goals to ensure that I will be competitive for independent funding upon completion. These goals are 1)
to gain expertise in the performance and interpretation of infant PFTs in premature infants; 2) to gain
experience in the biostatistical methods needed to study longitudinal lung trajectories and the developmental
origins of adult lung disease; and 3) to achieve independence by cultivating the team leadership skills needed
to secure funding and achieve success in team science. Achievement of these goals will provide the tools
needed to compete for independent funding. The lung trajectories for premature infants generated in this
proposal will then serve as a model for fully exploring how prematurity interacts with genetic predisposition,
fetal pr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10004149
- **Project number:** 5K23HL144918-02
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Brian K Jordan
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $158,958
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10004149

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10004149, Trajectories of Lung Function in Extremely Premature Infants (5K23HL144918-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10004149. Licensed CC0.

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