Overview

• Researchers at Great Ormond Street Hospital, UCL and KU Leuven report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine that nanodiamonds can deliver VEGF to promote lung development in models of CDH.
• Lab-grown human mini-lungs, created with 3D printing to mimic chest compression seen in CDH, were used to assess targeted delivery before animal testing.
• In rat studies, VEGF delivered via nanodiamonds worked alongside the prenatal tracheal balloon procedure and produced the healthiest lungs when given together.
• The team is developing a biodegradable formulation and plans further safety studies before moving toward clinical use, with a potential first-in-patient timeline of about five years.
• CDH affects roughly one in 3,000 births, with survival in severe untreated cases under 25% and about 50% with the current balloon intervention, and a parent of a GOSH patient expressed cautious optimism about the research.