Shaon Sengupta, MBBS, MPH, is a leading researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), exploring the role of circadian rhythms in health — particularly lung injury and recovery. The Sengupta lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms that govern these biological time-keepers, with the goal of eventually transforming how clinicians understand and apply circadian science to patient care. Dr. Sengupta’s research has significant implications for treatment strategies, especially for vulnerable populations like NICU patients, where disrupted rhythms in a developmentally critical period can lead to long-term health consequences.
The Q&A below highlights Dr. Sengupta’s findings and their potential to shape clinical practice by emphasizing the importance of circadian-aware care.
Q: What are circadian rhythms, and why should clinicians care about them?
A: Circadian rhythms are internal biological processes that follow a ~24-hour cycle that evolved to allow living organisms to adapt to changes in their environment. At the molecular level the clock mechanism regulates 25% to 40% of the transcriptome — the set of all RNA transcripts, including coding and non-coding, in an individual or a population of cells — influencing key physiological functions. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain houses the master clock. However, individual organs and cells have their own clocks. Synchronization between the SCN clock and other organ-level clocks is central to good health. These clocks can be forced out of sync, by common lifestyle choices like jetlag or occupational hazards like shift work. Shift workers have significantly higher risks of chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer and stroke. For clinicians, understanding these rhythms can improve timing of interventions and patient outcomes.
Q: How do circadian rhythms impact care in high-risk environments like the NICU?
A: At present, we know that while the internal clock machinery exists at birth (preterm or term), these clocks become more functional and start affecting physiology in the weeks to months following birth. Thus, the vulnerable neonate is critically dependent on the immediate environment it experiences in the NICU to aid the development of its circadian rhythms. Several aspects of our practice in the NICU have direct implications for circadian rhythms. For example, light exposure in most units is erratic and not cyclical enough to support the emerging circadian rhythms. Even for older patients, feeding is around-the-clock and not cycled to match age-appropriate patterns. Aligning interventions such as medication and nutrition with the body’s natural rhythms can enhance treatment efficacy and immune responses. This timing-based strategy supports better outcomes for critically ill or premature patients.
Q: What has research shown about the connection between circadian rhythms and health outcomes?
A: Circadian rhythms influence both acute and chronic conditions. In the Sengupta lab, we use a mouse model to test hypotheses crucial for understanding the underlying mechanisms. For example, mice with disrupted clocks have threefold higher mortality than mice with intact clocks, indicating the clock is an important driver of response to pulmonary infection. Further, we have used large databases like the UK Biobank (which investigates the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that contribute to various health outcomes) to confirm links between disrupted rhythms and poorer health outcomes, including longer hospital stays and higher risk of hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infections.
Q: Why are circadian rhythms especially relevant in neonatal care?
A: Early life is a critical window for establishing healthy circadian networks. Premature infants are particularly vulnerable, as NICU environments can disrupt light cues and other regulatory signals, potentially impacting long-term respiratory and neurological health.
Q: What experimental data supports the clinical value of circadian rhythms?
A: Research shows that disrupted light-dark cycles worsen lung inflammation in infection models. RNA sequencing reveals specific immune pathways influenced by circadian timing, reinforcing the case for rhythm-sensitive clinical protocols.
Q: What is the future potential of your circadian rhythm research?
A: Our goal is to establish circadian health as an integral component of overall health. This would allow us to integrate circadian timing into therapy — a concept known as chronotherapy. By aligning interventions with biological rhythms, clinicians can improve efficacy and reduce side effects. In neonatology, this could inform the design of NICUs and care models that better support the development of the circadian system by well-timed and intentional cycling of critical environmental cues for health. More broadly, this approach opens the door to personalized, rhythm-aware medicine.
Dr. Sengupta’s research illustrates the profound impact of circadian rhythms on patient care — especially in lung health and neonatal outcomes. Embracing circadian-aware strategies could transform clinical practice across specialties, offering new ways to enhance recovery and long-term health. Learn more about her research.
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Shaon Sengupta, MBBS, MPH, is a leading researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), exploring the role of circadian rhythms in health — particularly lung injury and recovery. The Sengupta lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms that govern these biological time-keepers, with the goal of eventually transforming how clinicians understand and apply circadian science to patient care. Dr. Sengupta’s research has significant implications for treatment strategies, especially for vulnerable populations like NICU patients, where disrupted rhythms in a developmentally critical period can lead to long-term health consequences.
The Q&A below highlights Dr. Sengupta’s findings and their potential to shape clinical practice by emphasizing the importance of circadian-aware care.
Q: What are circadian rhythms, and why should clinicians care about them?
A: Circadian rhythms are internal biological processes that follow a ~24-hour cycle that evolved to allow living organisms to adapt to changes in their environment. At the molecular level the clock mechanism regulates 25% to 40% of the transcriptome — the set of all RNA transcripts, including coding and non-coding, in an individual or a population of cells — influencing key physiological functions. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain houses the master clock. However, individual organs and cells have their own clocks. Synchronization between the SCN clock and other organ-level clocks is central to good health. These clocks can be forced out of sync, by common lifestyle choices like jetlag or occupational hazards like shift work. Shift workers have significantly higher risks of chronic conditions like diabetes, cancer and stroke. For clinicians, understanding these rhythms can improve timing of interventions and patient outcomes.
Q: How do circadian rhythms impact care in high-risk environments like the NICU?
A: At present, we know that while the internal clock machinery exists at birth (preterm or term), these clocks become more functional and start affecting physiology in the weeks to months following birth. Thus, the vulnerable neonate is critically dependent on the immediate environment it experiences in the NICU to aid the development of its circadian rhythms. Several aspects of our practice in the NICU have direct implications for circadian rhythms. For example, light exposure in most units is erratic and not cyclical enough to support the emerging circadian rhythms. Even for older patients, feeding is around-the-clock and not cycled to match age-appropriate patterns. Aligning interventions such as medication and nutrition with the body’s natural rhythms can enhance treatment efficacy and immune responses. This timing-based strategy supports better outcomes for critically ill or premature patients.
Q: What has research shown about the connection between circadian rhythms and health outcomes?
A: Circadian rhythms influence both acute and chronic conditions. In the Sengupta lab, we use a mouse model to test hypotheses crucial for understanding the underlying mechanisms. For example, mice with disrupted clocks have threefold higher mortality than mice with intact clocks, indicating the clock is an important driver of response to pulmonary infection. Further, we have used large databases like the UK Biobank (which investigates the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that contribute to various health outcomes) to confirm links between disrupted rhythms and poorer health outcomes, including longer hospital stays and higher risk of hospitalization for lower respiratory tract infections.
Q: Why are circadian rhythms especially relevant in neonatal care?
A: Early life is a critical window for establishing healthy circadian networks. Premature infants are particularly vulnerable, as NICU environments can disrupt light cues and other regulatory signals, potentially impacting long-term respiratory and neurological health.
Q: What experimental data supports the clinical value of circadian rhythms?
A: Research shows that disrupted light-dark cycles worsen lung inflammation in infection models. RNA sequencing reveals specific immune pathways influenced by circadian timing, reinforcing the case for rhythm-sensitive clinical protocols.
Q: What is the future potential of your circadian rhythm research?
A: Our goal is to establish circadian health as an integral component of overall health. This would allow us to integrate circadian timing into therapy — a concept known as chronotherapy. By aligning interventions with biological rhythms, clinicians can improve efficacy and reduce side effects. In neonatology, this could inform the design of NICUs and care models that better support the development of the circadian system by well-timed and intentional cycling of critical environmental cues for health. More broadly, this approach opens the door to personalized, rhythm-aware medicine.
Dr. Sengupta’s research illustrates the profound impact of circadian rhythms on patient care — especially in lung health and neonatal outcomes. Embracing circadian-aware strategies could transform clinical practice across specialties, offering new ways to enhance recovery and long-term health. Learn more about her research.
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