Promising New Strategies for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Infants

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is the most common pulmonary complication of preterm infants. The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia is increasing due to improved survival of preterm infants at lower gestational ages. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is associated with serious respiratory and neurodevelopmental problems during childhood. Advances in our understanding of its pathogenesis and recognition that the ‘new’ bronchopulmonary dysplasia is secondary to developmental arrest during canalicular stages of lung development, have made it possible to explore avenues for its prevention and management. This review examines the evidence for various preventative strategies and provides current information on potential future therapies including cytokine targeted and gene therapy, angiogenic therapy and other molecular agents for the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.