Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2007

Mentor: Pablo J. Sánchez, MD
Department: Pediatrics (Div. of Neonatology and Pediatric Infectious Diseases)
Room number: E3.508
Mail Code: 9063
Phone number: 214-648-3753
E-mail: pablo.sanchez@utsouthwestern.edu

Project Title: Nomogram for Gentamicin Dosing in Early Infancy

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): #012006-050
Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A
Project Type: Patient-based research

Brief Description of Project:

Gentamicin remains the antimicrobial agent of choice both for empiric treatment of early and late onset sepsis and treatment of gram-negative bacteremia in early infancy. Once daily dosing of gentamicin is used both in the newborn nursery and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Parkland Memorial Hospital (PMH). A nomogram for gentamicin administration has recently been developed for term and near term infants at PMH that would allow the determination of a single random level of gentamicin, rather than "peak" and "trough" concentrations, for the assessment of a therapeutic dose. There is no such pharmacokinetic model (nomogram) established for gentamicin dosing among preterm infants (?34 weeks of gestation).
This project will determine the pharmacokinetic profiles of both term and preterm newborns using the once daily dosing regimen for gentamicin, as well as validate the previously developed nomogram in term and near term infants while developing a similar nomogram for preterm newborns (?34 weeks of gestation).

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:
Elaine Duryea (Sanchez PJ, Sheffield J, Jackson G, Wendel G. McElwee B, Boney L, Engle W, Stehel E). Maternal Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection and Vertical Transmission of Cytomegalovirus (CMV). 45th Medical Student Research Forum, UT Southwestern Medical Center, January 16, 2007 (poster presentation), and Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Toronto, 2007 (poster presentation).

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