Skip to Main Content

Johns Hopkins Children's Center

Fetal Research

Our experts in prenatal care are also innovators who collaborate on cutting-edge research to help expand the borders of what we know and discover the future of fetal therapies. 

We are members of the North American Fetal Therapy Network and participate in multiple single center and multicenter trials.

A Lifeline for the Smallest Patients

NIH-funded research from the lab of pediatric surgeon Shawn Michael Kunisaki helps Johns Hopkins progress the lifesaving repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernias at the Center of Fetal Therapy and Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Without research—at Johns Hopkins and at other institutions—scientific breakthroughs suffer, and the lifesaving treatments of tomorrow are at risk.

Read more about Asante Learn more: Research Saves Lives
asante wawa achayo

Fetal Research Activity at Johns Hopkins Children's Center (2020-2024)

Selected Manuscripts
  • Baschat AA, Desiraju S, Bernier ML, Kunisaki SM, Miller JL. Management advances for congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Integrating prenatal and postnatal perspectives. Translat Pediatr. 2024; PMID: 38715680. Read more about this research
  • Biancotti JC, Sescleifer AM, Sferra SR, Penikis AB, Halbert-Elliott KM, Bubb CR, Kunisaki SM. Maternal minocycline as fetal therapy in a rat model of myelomeningocele. J Surg Res. 2024; PMID: 39168042. Read more about this research
  • Sferra SR, Biancotti JC, Ahmad R, Sescleifer AM, Bubb CR, Kovler ML, Kunisaki SM. Comparative transcriptome analysis of human and mouse canalicular lungs in fetal diaphragmatic hernia. J Pediatr Surg. 2024, PMID: 39181781. Read more about this research
  • Sferra SR, Penikis AB, Guo M, Baschat AA, Mogayzel PJ, Burton VJ, Kunisaki SM. Neurodevelopmental outcomes in children after fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion for severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Results from a multidisciplinary clinic. J Pediatr Surg. 2024; PMID: 38599907. Read more about this research
  • Engwall-Gill AJ, Zhou AL, Penikis AB, Sferra SR, Jelin AC, Blakemore KJ, Kunisaki SM. Prenatal sonography in suspected proximal gastrointestinal obstructions: Diagnostic accuracy and neonatal outcomes. J Pediatr Surg. 2023; PMID: 36907770. Read more about this research
  • Miller JL, Baschat AA, Rosner M, Blumenfeld YJ, Moldenhauer JS, Johnson A, Schenone MH, Zaretsky MV, Chmait RH, Gonzalez JM, Miller RS, Moon-Grady AJ, Bendel-Stenzel E, Keiser AM, Avadhani R, Jelin AC, Davis JM, Warren DS, Hanley DF, Watkins JA, Samuels J, Sugarman J, Atkinson MA. Neonatal Survival After Serial Amnioinfusions for Bilateral Renal Agenesis: The Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy Trial. JAMA. 2023; PMID: 38051327. Read more about this research
  • Penikis AB, Zhou AL, Sferra SR, Engwall-Gill AJ, Miller JL, Baschat AA, Blakemore KJ, Kunisaki SM. Serial lung mass volume ratios as prognostic indicators of neonatal respiratory morbidity in fetal pulmonary malformations. Am J Obstet/Gynecol MFM. 2023; PMID: 37572880. Read more about this research
  • Sferra SR, Guo M, Gonzalez Salazar AJ, Penikis AB, Engwall-Gill A, Ebanks A, Harting MT, Collaco JM, Kunisaki SM. Sex-specific differences in congenital diaphragmatic hernia mortality. J Pediatr. 2023; PMID: 37196780. Read more about this research
  • Sferra SR, Salvi P, Weller J, Canner JK, Guo M, Engwall-Gill AJ, Penikis AB, Rhee D, Collaco JM, Keiser AM, Solomon DG, Kunisaki SM. Racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes among newborns with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. JAMA Network Open. 2023; PMID: 37115544. Read more about this research
  • Atkinson MA, Jelin EB, Baschat A, Blumenfeld YJ, Chmait RH, O'Hare E, Moldenhauer JS, Zaretsky MV, Miller RS, Ruano R, Gonzalez JM, Johnson A, Mould WA, Davis JM, Hanley DF, Keiser AM, Rosner M, Miller JL. Design and Protocol of the Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy (RAFT) Trial. Clin Ther. 2022; PMID: 35918190. Read more about this research
  • Sferra SR, Nies MK, Miller JL, Garcia AV, Hodgman EI, Penikis AB, Engwall-Gill AJ, Burton VJ, Rice JL, Mogayzel PJ, Baschat A, Kunisaki SM. Morbidity in children after fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion for severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Results from a multidisciplinary clinic. J Pediatr Surg. 2022; PMID: 36333128. Read more about this research
  • Sferra SR, Miller JL, Sanz Cortes M, Belfort MA, Cruz-Martinez R, Kunisaki SM, Baschat AA. Postnatal care setting and survival after fetoscopic tracheal occlusion for severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia. J Pediatr Surg. 2022; PMID: 35680463. Read more about this research
  • Miller JL, Groves ML, Ahn ES, Berman DJ, Murphy JD, Rosner MK, Wolfson D, Jelin EB, Korth SA, Keiser AM, Laurie M, Millard SE, Tekes A, Baschat AA. Implementation process and evolution of a laparotomy assisted two-port fetoscopic spina bifida closure program. Fetal Diagn Ther 2021; PMID: 34518445 .Read more about this research
  • Kunisaki SM, Jiang G, Biancotti JC, Ho KKY, Dye BR, Liu AP, Spence JR. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived lung organoids in an ex vivo model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia fetal lung. Stem Cells Translat Med. 2021; 10:98-114, PMID: 32949227. Read more about this research
  • Baschat A, Miller J, Kunisaki S. Increased survival following fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion for diaphragmatic hernia. Invited commentary to: Randomized trial of fetal surgery of left diaphragmatic hernia (New England Journal of Medicine). J Pediatr. 2021; 238:338-342, PMID: 34702501. Read more about this research
  • Biancotti JC, Walker KA, Jiang G, Di Bernardo J, Shea LD, Kunisaki SM. Hydrogel and neural progenitor cell delivery supports organotypic fetal spinal cord development in an ex vivo model of prenatal spina bifida repair. J Tissue Eng. 2020; PMID: 32782773. Read more about this research
  • Kunisaki SM, Saito JM, Fallat ME, St. Peter SD, Lal DR, Karmakar M, Deans KJ, Gadepalli SK, Hirschl RB, Minneci PC, Helmrath MA on behalf of the Midwest Pediatric Surgery Consortium. Fetal risk stratification and outcomes in children with prenatally diagnosed lung malformations: Results from a multi-institutional surgical collaborative. Ann Surg. 2020; PMID: 33214447. Read more about this research
  • Baschat AA, Rosner M, Millard SE, Murphy JD, Blakemore KJ, Keiser AM, Kearney J, Bullard J, Nogee LM, Bembea M, Jelin EB, Miller JL. Single-Center Outcome of Fetoscopic Tracheal Balloon Occlusion for Severe Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Obstet Gynecol. 2020; PMID: 32028493. Read more about this research

FEatured storyMulticenter Trial to Study Treatment of Near Universally Fetal Disease

Through the Renal Anhydramnios Fetal Therapy (RAFT) trial, an experimental therapy offers a life raft for the fetus enduring the congenital anomaly early pregnancy renal anhydramnios, but the treatment needs to be regulated and consistent.

More about the RAFT trial
a hand touches the face of a tiny infant