Being born early can affect a baby’s brain development to the extent that it can sometimes lead to problems that affect the child throughout their life. Despite 15 million children being born preterm every year, there’s a lot we still don’t know about this area of perinatal medicine. This is why the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory was created.

The Laboratory is backed by the Jennifer Brown Research Fund and was set up at the University of Edinburgh by Theirworld in 2004. Hosted by the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, the Laboratory was created by Theirworld Chair Sarah Brown and her husband Gordon in memory of their first child Jennifer.

The Laboratory’s scientists and clinicians conduct research into why babies are born early, with the aim of developing an understanding of how to save more lives and treat early newborns more effectively.

They carry out their work in close collaboration with other research centres within the University of Edinburgh, as well as NHS Lothian’s Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, whose Neonatal Intensive Care Unit looks after many of the region’s preterm infants.

In 2015, the pioneering Edinburgh Birth Cohort research programme launched at the Laboratory. By tracking the development of 400 people as they grow into adulthood, the study will provide world-first insights into the long-term effects of early labour on the developing brain.

The resulting treatments could transform efforts to improve the lives of children born early, and their families.

The Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory is an example of the visionary work Theirworld undertakes as we strive for a future where all children, including those born early, get the best start in life.