Researchers awarded $2.8M federal grant to study potential treatment of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

CLEVELAND—More than 3,400 Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths are reported annually in the United States, making it the country’s biggest cause of death of infants from one month to one year old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Most of these deaths are classified as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), a disorder with numerous, unexplained causes that have plagued researchers for decades.

Now, with a new five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, researchers from Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s will investigate SIDS, using a model they developed that mimics conditions associated with most SIDS cases.

They hope the federal support and new approach may provide a fresh perspective on what may cause SIDS. They may also be close to finding biomarkers in urine and blood that could help identify newborns who are more likely to die from it.

“A major challenge with SIDS research is developing an accurate model that reproduces many of the SIDS abnormal features,” said Peter MacFarlane, PhD, associate professor and director of neonatology basic research at the School of Medicine, UH Rainbow and lead investigator. “One of our model’s special features is that it allows us to simulate conditions surrounding many SIDS cases. We are then able to test some of our new theories about what can cause SIDS, like involuntary respiratory characteristics.”

In particular, Dr. MacFarlane and his team are focused on abnormal levels of certain proteins and cells in the brainstem and carotid body—two important components of the central and peripheral nervous system involved in regulating breathing that they believe might lead to SIDS.

“We are also testing a unique drug that may one day be used to prevent many SIDS cases from occurring,” Dr. MacFarlane said. “Our hope is that this research offers new insights into the causes of SIDS and could lead to early identification of at-risk infants so that we can intervene early enough to prevent such a devastating form of death from happening.”