From left, Nora Jabassini, Bridget Ostrem, Lena Odell. 

Our primary goals are to understand, prevent, and treat brain injury in babies. Areas of focus include white matter injury of prematurity and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, which can cause developmental delays, disability, cerebral palsy, seizures, and many other problems. Our lab is also interested in the overlap in pathophysiology and therapeutic development between preterm white matter injury and other white matter disorders such as multiple sclerosis. 

We use laboratory methods including primary cell culture and animal models to understand the basic biology of early brain injury and other forms of white matter injury, and to identify and validate novel therapeutics. We also perform neuroimaging, observational and interventional clinical research. We aim to improve preventative strategies and treatment options for patients.