Research Topics

Prevention of neonatal complications of perinatal origin

Olivier Baud’s research focuses on perinatal brain damage and neonatal complications following prematurity and fetal growth restriction. He developed preclinical models to improve our understanding of the vulnerability of the developing brain towards inflammation and its ability to repair. These models have been applied to evidence the central role of microglia in neonatal brain damage and abnormal developmental trajectory and to test neuroprotective strategies from a translational perspective. He also developed innovative tools to assess brain function both in rodents and in humans.

Clinical research

  • Randomized controlled trials, phase 3-4: many perinatal fields with special interest for the brain and lung protection
  • Cohort studies based on the exploitation database (EPIPAGE 2 in France, SwissNeoNet in Switzerland), in the field of neonatal neurology.
  • Analysis of changes in cerebral blood flow by ultra-fast Doppler and correlations to the sleep states in the newborn during brain development

Preclinical and translational research

These research activities are jointly developed at Child and Development Lab in Geneva and at Inserm U1141 (PROTECT lab) in Paris (www.neurodiderot.org Team Neurokines, Group 2).

  1. Basic research on IUGR and developing brain damage :
    • microglial activation deregulation following fetal growth restriction : underlining mechanisms
    • modulation of microglial activation and IUGR-induced neuroinflammation as neuroprotective strategy
  2. Neuroprotective candidates pipeline and clinical translation:
    • iNO and PDE5 inhibitors in neonatal stroke and HIE (+ hypothermia)
    • Oxytocin, neuroinflammation modulation and neuroprotection
    • PARP inhibitors
  3. Development of a novel device for for continuous functional monitoring of the neonatal brain based on ultrafast Doppler, in collaboration with ESPCI, ParisTech.

specific expertise

  • Functional ultrasound imaging (ICONEUS) for rodents, located at PIPPA
  • Microglial cells phenotyping in rodents using ICC, qPCR, transcriptomics and sc RNA Seq
  • Clinical trials in perinatal medicine and neonatal intensive care, in particular in preterm infants exposed to systemic inflammation or brain injury

selected publications

Mairesse J, Zinni M, Pansiot J, …, Baud O. Oxytocin receptor agonist reduces perinatal brain damage by targeting microglia. Glia. 2019;67(2):345-359

Demene C, Baranger J, Bernal M, …, and Baud O. Functional ultrasound imaging of brain activity in human newborns. Sci Transl Med. 2017 Oct 11;9(411)

Loron G, Olivier P, See H, …, Baud O. Ciprofloxacin prevents myelination delay in neonatal rats subjected to E. coli sepsisAnn Neurol. 2011;69(2):341-351

Fontaine RH, Olivier P, Massonneau V, …, and Baud O. Vulnerability of white matter towards antenatal hypoxia is linked to a species-dependent regulation of glutamate receptor subunitsProc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008;105(43):16779-84

Li J, Baud O, Vartanian T, Volpe JJ, Rosenberg PA. Peroxynitrite generated by inducible nitric oxide synthase and NADPH oxidase mediates microglial toxicity to oligodendrocytesProc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005;102(28):9936-9941

26 Nov 2020

Immune dysfunction