Congratulations to Dr. David Limbrick, HCRN Site PI at Washington University/St. Louis Children’s Hospital, who was just awarded a K23 Career Development Award by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS/NIH).  David’s project, titled “CSF levels of L1CAM and amyloid precursor protein in post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus of prematurity,” involves the creation of an HCRN-wide multi-institutional CSF bank to study post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH).  This project also draws on early work from David’s laboratory demonstrating specific alterations in the levels of the proteins L1CAM and APP in PHH.  Over the next 5 years, David will focus on developing these and other proteins as biomarkers of PHH and PHH-related neurological injury.  Ultimately, these biomarkers will be used to complement ventricular size measurements (e.g. CT or MRI) to improve the care and neurological outcomes of infants with PHH.

Dave’s award is the third NIH award for an HCRN investigator and second career award in the group and part of an important trend of receiving public funding for hydrocephalus research and the efforts of the network.