Prematurity and formula-feeding heighten the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious gastrointestinal issue. However, NEC is still poorly understood; in many cases, the exact cause is still unknown. Currently, NEC often appears and progresses rapidly and is associated with high mortality rates. Better understanding necrotizing enterocolitis is crucial to improving outcomes. A December 2022 news release from UNC Health and the UNC School of Medicine shares that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) granted $1,000,000 to UNC-Chapel Hill researchers to learn more about the underlying cellular mechanisms of NEC.
The primary investigators on this project—entitled “Integrating Patients to Accelerate the Science Towards a World Without NEC”—and grant awardees are Dr. Misty Good, MD, MS, Dr. Scott Magness, PhD, and Jennifer Canvasser, MSW, of the NEC Society. If all goes well, the CZI will grant another $1M after the first two years of the study.
This collaborative project will focus on using single-cell biology methods to learn more about the cellular environment within the neonatal gut, particularly while experiencing inflammation. In particular, the research team hopes to understand single cell morphology before, during, and after postnatal development, including when an infant has necrotizing enterocolitis. Further, the research hopes to identify NEC-related biomarkers, understand why NEC tends to affect premature or otherwise “delicate” infants, and discover potential ways to improve early NEC identification. Given that up to half of all infants with NEC die, early diagnosis could significantly improve care practices.
What is Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)?
As described above, necrotizing enterocolitis is a serious gastrointestinal issue which is characterized by intestinal inflammation, especially in the colon. This condition primarily affects premature infants, manifesting within three to twelve days following birth. It is much rarer in full-term infants. The inflammation caused by necrotizing enterocolitis causes the death and degeneration of intestinal tissue; for example, holes may form in the intestines that introduce intestinal bacteria into the abdomen, causing infection. Symptoms of necrotizing enterocolitis can include:
- Fever
- Frequent vomiting with green bile
- Lethargy
- Abdominal distention
- Apnea (breathing that stops and starts abnormally)
- Bloody stool
- Abdominal redness
- Slow heart rate
- Poor tolerance to eating / food that doesn’t move through the body properly
- Low blood pressure
Treatment options include stopping all feedings (as formula increases the risk of NEC), antibiotics, IV feeding, surgery, nasogastric or orogastric drainage, and abdominal X-rays.
