Solving the Problem

Hanli Liu, bioengineering professor, is working on a mathematical analysis to help detect when a baby is at risk for brain swelling and injury because of a lack of oxygen during delivery.

“The brains of babies are very fragile and change dynamically at this time,” says Dr. Liu, the College of Engineering Board of Advisors Endowed Professor. “If doctors can promptly protect the little brains of those babies who need treatment, they will recover well.”

Dr. Liu has partnered with Lina Chalak at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center on a National Institutes of Health grant to determine when a newborn is at risk of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a disease occurring when oxygen or blood flow to the brain is reduced or stopped at birth. HIE can cause a variety of disabilities, including hearing, visual, speech, and motor impairments and intellectual, behavioral, and developmental disorders.

Liu equated detecting HIE early to detecting cancer early. Early treatments lead to more effective outcomes.

“If not treated on time, babies can sustain permanent brain damage,” Liu says. “However, current doctors aren’t sure right now which babies need prompt treatments and which ones don’t. That’s what we’re after, determining accurately which babies need immediate therapy.”