Translational Science
The Science of Light Center translates findings from basic science into its practical application using spectral lighting.
A child born before 28 weeks of is considered extremely premature. To help them reach full term birth (40 weeks) milestones, extremely preterm infants can spend months in the hospital. At the end of their hospital stay, some go home without long-term complications but others grow up with a variety of chronic conditions. These chronic conditions range from damaged eyesight to under-developed lungs and immune systems making them prone to poor outcomes even when routine infections occur.
During those delicate days in the NICU, hospitals strive to maintain environments believed to mimic conditions in the womb: Sterile. Quiet. Dark. However, new research has challenged those assumptions about what the developing fetus experiences in the womb. And now Cincinnati Children’s has invested in the world’s first full-spectrum NICU lighting system to put learnings from new research into action.
The Science of Light Center uses knowledge about the importance of the day to night light cycle and its impact on the brain, eyes, fat, immune systems and other metabolic processes generated through bench research to identify its clinical application. Our goal is to lead industries in thinking about the science and mechanisms of the circadian cycle, paving the way for innovation.
