The University of New Brunswick (UNB) has launched Canada's first infant metabolic chamber, marking a significant advancement in early-life health research. This custom-built chamber, one of only three of its kind globally, is housed in Dr. Maryam Kebbe's Perinatal-Pediatric Health & Development Studies (PEADS) Lab. The device enables researchers to precisely measure the resting metabolism of infants and toddlers, beginning as early as one day old.
The infant metabolic chamber is a controlled, transparent enclosure connected to a Promethion metabolic system, technology typically found in elite physiology labs. This allows for unparalleled precision in understanding how factors like nutrition, genetics, and early environments influence an infant's metabolic rate. Unlike larger metabolic rooms used for adults, this chamber is specifically designed for infants, ensuring their safety and comfort during measurements.
This new capability opens doors to answering fundamental questions that researchers have not been able to study at scale. Dr. Kebbe stated that the chamber allows researchers to measure a baby's resting metabolic rate as early as one day old, filling a significant gap in our understanding of early infant metabolism. Researchers will investigate the impacts of breastfeeding versus formula feeding, and whether infants born into families with conditions like diabetes or obesity have different metabolic rates. Understanding these differences could lead to interventions to prevent infant obesity and reduce the risk of SIDS.
The chamber completes the PEADS Lab's full metabolic suite, enabling the measurement of an individual's metabolism across their entire growth development, from infancy to adulthood. According to UNB, this positions New Brunswick as an emerging hub for foundational early-life health science and demonstrates the university's growing leadership in maternal and child health research.
