Novel and Potential Future Treatments

NEC is a devastating disease with significant mortality and life-long morbidity for the survivors. Current therapies are clearly inadequate and there is a clear need for better treatments. Within the basic science realm there are a number of potential treatments which could be translated to clinical practice. There is a need for research to develop these into viable treatments. Potential future treatments include: breast-milk derived components like lactoferrin; stem-cell-based therapies; microbiota transplant; immunotherapy; controlled hypothermia and remote ischaemic conditioning. The incredible progress in neonatal care in general over the past few decades has not been matched by progress in NEC treatments. These interventions show the potential for future therapies and how currently the translation to practical and effective clinical treatments is sadly lacking.