University of Colorado
School of Medicine
Children's Hospital Colorado
Barber Lab
Understanding the brain immune response
to improve therapies for
Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy
Research Focus
Our lab focuses on understanding the brain’s immune response to perinatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a leading cause of death and disability in neonates. Specifically, in our mouse model we investigate the role of two types of macrophages involved in this injury: brain-resident microglia and macrophages that infiltrate the brain from the bloodstream following the injury. We found that depleting microglia and macrophages worsens injury in females but has the opposite effect in males. By differentiating macrophage subtypes and examining upstream factors that contribute to these sex differences, we aim to learn how macrophages influence brain injury after hypoxia-ischemia and ultimately identify therapeutic targets. Our lab cares deeply about the patients affected by HIE and we realize the urgent need for more effective therapies. To support this effort, Dr. Barber is leading the building of a national HIE registry that connects clinical and caregiver-reported data. This HIE registry will enable long-term outcome reporting in a large cohort of individuals, and can focus on outcomes that are most meaningful to families.
Recent Publications
Rust A, Lott E, Kim S, Shusterman M, Shusterman L, Guez-Barber D, Jaleel F, McQueen A, Aravamuthan BR. Caregiver Differentiation Between Dystonia and Spasticity in Cerebral Palsy. Pediatr Neurol. 2026 Oct;183:179-185. doi: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2026.07.024. Epub 2026 Jul 22. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42600281/
Pilon B, Cavaller-Bellaubi M, Daly M, Groth M, Guez-Barber D, Kemper R, Kucher K, Bonnard LN, Siche-Pantel F, Turner MA. Engaging families with experience of neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy: a call to action. Pediatr Res. 2026 Aug 11. doi: 10.1038/s41390-026-05329-1. Epub ahead of print. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42581134/
Peeples ES, Mietzsch U, Molloy EJ, Pilon B, Guez-Barber D, Soul J, Mohammad K, deVeber G, Chau V, Bonifacio SL, Craig AK, Afifi J, Sabir H, Groenendaal F, Shany E, Dizon MLV, Iwata O, Okulu E, Jermendy A, Boo NY, El-Dib M, Wintermark P; Newborn Brain Society Guidelines and Publications Committee. Expert Consensus Approach to Developing Inpatient Common Data Elements for Neonatal Encephalopathy Research. Neurology. 2026 Mar 10;106(5):e214658. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000214658. Epub 2026 Feb 9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41662617/
Sewell E, Dingman A, Bonifacio S, Guez-Barber D, Pilon B, Smyser C. Building a Neonatal Neurocritical Care Program: A Practical Guide to Initial Implementation. Neoreviews. 2025 Nov 1;26(11):e755-e772. doi: 10.1542/neo.26-11-069. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41173295/
Guez-Barber D, Nicolayevsky SE, Johnson KJD, Narli I, Yun S, Eisch AJ. Microglial depletion worsens lesion in female but not male C57BL/6J mice after P10 hypoxia-ischemia. Revisions under review, 2025 January. Also deposited in bioRxiv doi 10.1101/2023.10.17.562542 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.17.562542v2