Neonatal Immunology & Disease Research Lab
Advancing Understanding of NEC
The Nemours Children’s Neonatal Immunology & Disease Research Lab in Central Florida focuses on necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious intestinal disease that affects premature infants. NEC can appear suddenly and progress quickly. We don’t have clear answers about why it develops and how it can be prevented. Although breast milk protects many infants, some still develop NEC. This tells us that deeper biological factors are at work.
To understand this condition, we study how the premature intestine responds to inflammation during the earliest stages of life. The intestinal barrier in preterm infants is still developing, and it depends on a delicate balance of immune signals to stay intact. Even small disruptions can weaken this barrier and increase vulnerability to NEC.
Decades of research have shown that breast milk-derived immune molecules shape this developing barrier and that specific cytokines — proteins that help the immune system communicate — influence its strength. In premature infants, some cytokines help protect the intestinal lining while others can make it more fragile.
Today, we’re examining how the IL-12 family of cytokines interacts with ZO-1, a protein that helps seal the spaces between intestinal cells. These studies help clarify why some infants have higher risk than others and point toward future therapies that could protect the premature intestine before injury begins.
Principal Investigator
Jennifer Liedel, MD
Research Scientist
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- Research Interests
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Our Areas of Focus
Our focus areas explain the early-life biology that shapes NEC risk and guide the questions we ask in the lab. They highlight the systems and processes we believe are most important for understanding how premature infants respond to inflammation.
Understanding Necrotizing Enterocolitis
NEC is a complex intestinal disease that develops when the premature intestine becomes overwhelmed by inflammation. We study the factors that increase susceptibility, including intestinal immaturity and the early-life immune responses that shape a newborn’s ability to protect and repair the gut.
Intestinal Immunology & Barrier Function
The intestinal barrier plays a critical role in keeping harmful bacteria and inflammation out of the bloodstream. Our research examines how breast milk and early immune signals strengthen or weaken this barrier, helping us understand why some infants remain protected while others do not.
Cytokines & Early Immune Signaling
Cytokines are proteins that help regulate the immune system. We study how specific cytokines, such as IL-12 and IL-23, influence inflammation in the premature intestine and how
Recent Research Highlights
Our work builds on longstanding findings in epithelial biology, cytokine signaling, and neonatal intestinal injury. Recent projects include:
- Breast milk-induced cryoprotection and epithelial resilience: Investigating how breast milk-derived factors induce proteins such as Hsp70, enhance epithelial stress responses and preserve tight junction stability in premature intestinal tissue.
- IL-12 and IL-23 signaling in neonatal barrier disruption: Defining how IL-12 family cytokines regulate epithelial permeability, modulate inflammatory cascades, and alter ZO-1 localization during early intestinal injury.
- Role of intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP) in modulating mucosal inflammation: Examining the enzymatic activity of IAP in reducing luminal inflammatory mediators, limiting epithelial injury, and mitigating systemic immune activation in neonatal models.
- Impact of early-life stressors on intestinal immune activation: Characterizing how feeding practices, oxygen exposure, and other early neonatal stressors alter cytokine expression and create conditions that precipitate NEC.
- Cross-talk between intestinal inflammation and systemic immune response: Studying how localized intestinal injury triggers broader immune changes and identifying biomarkers that may signal early or impending disease progression.
- Mechanisms of injury and repair in the developing intestinal barrier: Evaluating how premature epithelial cells respond to inflammatory insult and identifying pathways that support restoration of barrier integrity following early damage.
Funding & Research Support
Internal research funding from the Nemours Foundation supports our long-standing work in neonatal immunology.
This funding allows the team to investigate early mechanisms of NEC, explore new hypotheses, and advance studies that strengthen our understanding of how the premature intestine responds to inflammation. This foundation also positions the lab to pursue future translational studies aimed at identifying protective strategies for infants at highest risk of NEC.
Research Environment & Training
Our lab operates within the UCF Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences in Orlando, giving researchers access to specialized equipment and an active academic community.
This environment supports hands-on training in epithelial biology, cytokine signaling, and neonatal intestinal disease. Trainees and collaborators gain experience with methods that help clarify how the premature intestine responds to injury and repairs early damage.
Research in Context
Our lab contributes to research that informs pediatric care and connects to broader areas of scientific study at Nemours.
Immunology Research
RESEARCH AREA
We investigate immune system function in children to advance understanding of autoimmune disease, allergy, immunodeficiency, and immunotherapy.
Neonatology Research
RESEARCH AREA
We study how developing organ systems respond to stress in premature and critically ill newborns, advancing safer care and stronger long-term outcomes.