Welcoming new Professor of Perinatal Neuroscience

We are delighted to announce the recruitment of Professor Nikki Robertson, chair of perinatal neuroscience, to the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences.

Nikki joins Edinburgh from UCL, where she has built a programme focused on neonatal encephalopathy and neuroprotection. Over the past 20 years she has developed the piglet model to investigate the safety and efficacy of neuroprotective drugs for newborn infants using clinically relevant MR biomarkers, bedside tools such as EEG, and immunohistochemistry. As therapeutic hypothermia is only partially effective, she has studied the safety and efficacy of adjunct therapies. Her studies have focused on optimising cooling itself and adding melatonin, xenon, argon or erythropoietin (Epo) as adjuncts with cooling. She uses MRI, MRS and NIRS to understand brain injury mechanisms both in babies in the NICU and in the piglet model in the laboratory. In the next 5-10 years she intends to move towards setting up and inspiring clinical trials of the most promising adjunct therapies with cooling, the development of biomarkers to assess inflammation sensitization, and tailoring neuroprotection to specific babies.

Nikki's interest in neuroprotection extends to low resource settings in particular sub-Saharan Africa. In Uganda, her studies led to an important message of caution regarding the translation of therapeutic hypothermia (a safe and effective therapy in the UK) to low resource settings. As the main burden of neonatal encephalopathy is in low resource settings, she aims to ensure we develop neuroprotective interventions in the laboratory that are economical, practical, safe and translational to both high and low resource settings.

Nikki will work as an honorary consultant neonatologist at the Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, where she will contribute to delivery of optimal clinical neurocritical care, as part of a wider programme of neuroprotective practices for newborn infants.

Nikki's work is an excellent fit within Edinburgh's early life neuroscience programme. She would be pleased to meet with any of you who see potential for collaboration. Nikki starts work with us on 1st October 2020.

Professor Nikki Robertson

Professor James Boardman, Professor of Neonatal Medicine

Dr Edile Murdoch, Clinical director for Obstetrics and Neonatology, NHS Lothian

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2020