Project Grant K23DK149459

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded the Trustees of Indiana University $180,900 on September 1, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847, Project Grant K23DK149459) to conduct mentored patient-oriented research on biomarker-guided early risk stratification for fluid imbalance and acute kidney injury in neonates.

The research addresses neonatal fluid overload and acute kidney injury, complications common in neonatal intensive care units that increase mortality, prolong mechanical ventilation, and result in long-term renal and neurodevelopmental consequences. Current clinical markers such as serum creatinine rise late and are confounded by maternal values and fluid status, limiting early intervention. The project will develop biomarker-guided strategies for early risk stratification using urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and olfactomedin 4 as promising biomarkers for early kidney injury and poor diuretic responsiveness. Aim 1 will determine early predictive values and longitudinal trajectories of these biomarkers in term and late-preterm infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Performance occurs at Indiana University Indianapolis, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The project runs through May 31, 2031.