Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026
Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs
Published on: October 31, 2025
Biomarkers for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in the Preterm Infant
Lidys Rivera1, Roopa Siddaiah1, Christiana Oji-Mmuo1
1Department of Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine , Hershey, PA , USA.
Insights
Biomarkers are crucial for early detection of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) in premature infants. Identifying these biomarkers can aid in prevention and treatment strategies for these serious lung conditions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Neonatology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease in premature infants, often requiring oxygen support and linked to mechanical ventilation. Its incidence has risen with improved survival rates of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants.
- Early BPD detection is vital to prevent lung remodeling and long-term complications, but diagnosis is challenging due to a lack of reliable biomarkers and overlapping symptoms with conditions like pulmonary hypertension (PH).
- Current treatments for BPD and PH are limited, driving research towards primary prevention, early diagnostic biomarkers, and potential therapeutic targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review identified biomarkers for pediatric BPD and PH from clinical studies using various biological fluids.
- To summarize current prevention and diagnostic strategies for BPD and PH.
- To provide an overview of the pathophysiology, risk factors, and experimental therapies for BPD and PH.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of clinical studies identifying biomarkers for BPD and PH in biological fluids.
- Analysis of current prevention and diagnostic guidelines.
- Summary of research on pathophysiology, risk factors, and experimental treatments.
Main Results:
- Various novel histopathological, biochemical, and molecular factors have been identified in lung tissue and biological fluids associated with BPD and PH phenotypes.
- The review consolidates information on biomarkers discovered through clinical studies.
- Current research highlights the need for better biomarkers for early diagnosis and therapeutic targeting.
Conclusions:
- Biomarkers in biological fluids hold significant potential for early diagnosis of BPD and PH in VLBW infants.
- Further research into these biomarkers is essential for developing effective primary prevention and targeted therapeutic strategies.
- Understanding the pathophysiology and risk factors is key to improving outcomes for infants with BPD and PH.
Abstract:
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) preterm infants, associated with arrested lung development and a need for supplemental oxygen. Over the past few decades, the incidence of BPD has significantly raised as a result of improved survival of VLBW infants requiring mechanical ventilation. While early disease detection is critical to prevent chronic lung remodeling and complications later in life, BPD is often difficult to diagnose and prevent due to the lack of good biomarkers for identification of infants at risk, and overlapping symptoms with other diseases, such as pulmonary hypertension (PH). Due to the current lack of effective treatment available for BPD and PH, research is currently focused on primary prevention strategies, and identification of biomarkers for early diagnosis, that could also represent potential therapeutic targets. In addition, novel histopathological, biochemical, and molecular factors have been identified in the lung tissue and in biological fluids of BPD and PH patients that could associate with the disease phenotype. In this review, we provide an overview of biomarkers for pediatric BPD and PH that have been identified in clinical studies using various biological fluids. We also present a brief summary of the information available on current strategies and guidelines to prevent and diagnose BPD and PH, as well as their pathophysiology, risk factors, and experimental therapies currently available.
Related Concept Videos
01:05Breathing
01:27Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-IV: Assessement and Diagnostic Studies
Medical History