Anti-inflammatory strategies towards necrotising enterocolitis

Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe gastrointestinal disease that affects predominantly preterm infants. Despite all the research efforts that have been directed at NEC over the last few decades, its mortality remains high, its pathogenesis remains unclear, and the therapeutic strategies available for its treatment have changed little. As a result, the global burden of NEC continues to grow in parallel with the rise in the preterm infant population achieved through improvements and access to medical technology such mechanical ventilation and use of surfactants. My thesis sought to unravel the complex immune pathways that are critical for NEC pathogenesis and to address an urgent unmet need to identify novel and effective therapeutics for NEC.