Transcriptome changes in infants who developed BPD included genes involved in chromosome segregation and DNA repair (e.g., AURKB, BRCA2, CCNA2, H4C13) potentially inhibiting cell cycle progression and directing cells toward apoptosis or DNA damage repair (Fig. 4C; Additional file 1: Table S7). Here, AURKB is linked to bronchopulmonary dysplasia.