About the Lab

Who We Are

The Kratimenos Lab at Children's National studies prematurity as a whole-body cascade, not an isolated event, with a focus on the developing brain.

How We Work

We combine spatial transcriptomics, neuroimaging and neuropathology on human neonatal tissue with maternal-immune-activation and hypoxia mouse models — connecting molecular changes to real clinical outcomes, including why some preterm infants develop multiple complications and others don't. This spans NEC (gut–brain axis) and SIDS (cerebellar–brainstem circuits controlling arousal and breathing).

Collaboration and Funding

A $1.1M Raynor Foundation award supports our partnership with Johns Hopkins, pairing our strengths in neonatal neuropathology and brain bioenergetics with JHU's computational spatial transcriptomics and neuroimmunology.