# Project 3: Albayram

> **NIH NIH P20** · MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA · 2024 · $251,666

## Abstract

PROJECT 3 – PROJECT SUMMARY
Aberrant secondary immune activity after brain injury during neonatal life affects critical phases of brain
development, with long-lasting behavioral abnormalities relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders. The most
common form of brain injury in the preterm neonate is germinal matrix hemorrhage (GMH), which may display
pathophysiological alterations relating to risk factors for atypical brain development. However, very little is known
about how an aberrant secondary immune response that occurs and persists in the higher-order cortical and
limbic regions of the developing brain following GMH leads to failure of compensatory synaptic and neuronal
mechanisms and contributes to behavioral abnormalities. Recent studies have revealed a central role for
complement in serving as a local immune recognition mechanism that promotes secondary injury after brain
injury. Our preliminary data indicate a similar role for complement in propagating the pathogenic sequelae of
GMH. Using a mouse model of GMH, we will investigate how complement dependent neuroinflammation in the
neonatal brain following injury leads to failure of compensatory synaptic and neuronal mechanisms in primary
cognitive centers of the brain. We will determine how complement activation impacts long-term behavioral
changes relevant to neurodevelopment disorders, and we will investigate complement inhibition as a potential
therapeutic approach to mitigate the pathogenic sequelae of GMH. Additionally, we will investigate the role of
aberrant neuron/synapse elimination in the propagation of secondary brain injury, and specifically investigate a
role for complement opsonin-complement receptor interactions in this process. The CNDD will provide me with
critical support for the project through access to CNDD Cores and financial resources to support the research
efforts, and the career development and mentoring activities will ensure future success in obtaining an NIH R01
within a 3-year period and a transition to an established investigator in the field of NDDs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10814764
- **Project number:** 5P20GM148302-02
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
- **Principal Investigator:** Onder Albayram
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $251,666
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-04-01 → 2028-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10814764

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10814764, Project 3: Albayram (5P20GM148302-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10814764. Licensed CC0.

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