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Research

Crafty Hepatitis E Virus Uses Decoy to Evade Immune System
 Crafty Hepatitis E Virus Uses Decoy to Evade Immune System 1024 683 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Researchers find a related protein cloaking the virus has differences that could become treatment targets. A protein that doctors use as a marker of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is not directly involved in the virus lifecycle but acts as a decoy drawing away antibodies, helping HEV evade the immune system and thrive, researchers in…

Solving the Puzzle of Transfusion-Related Immune Reactions
 Solving the Puzzle of Transfusion-Related Immune Reactions 576 367 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Now that physicians have the “how” of blood transfusions mastered, they are starting to explore the “what” — and they’re learning that the effects of sharing human blood may be even more far-reaching and complex than previously imagined. With the initial safety challenges addressed and the technical barriers of donor blood storage and cleaning improved,…

Phase 1 Study Shows Promise of Gene Replacement Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1
 Phase 1 Study Shows Promise of Gene Replacement Therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

The phase 1 clinical study shows that gene therapy extends survival of patients and supports achievement of milestones previously unseen in the natural course of the disease. A one-time intravenous infusion of the high dose of gene therapy extended the survival of patients with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1), according to a study published in…

On the Road to Eliminating RSV
 On the Road to Eliminating RSV 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

With the recent publication of two papers, researchers shed light on factors that influence disease severity and immune response to respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants and young children. “RSV is a very common infection in infants and young children – almost everyone will be infected by age 2. In the United States, 2-3 percent…

Could Nutritional Supplements Impact Autism Symptoms in Toddlers Born Preterm?
 Could Nutritional Supplements Impact Autism Symptoms in Toddlers Born Preterm? 150 150 Rachael Hardison
By: Rachael Hardison

Supplementing with omega-3 and -6 fatty acids impacts language development in preterm toddlers at risk for developing autism. Delay in language development is often an early indicator in children at risk for developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet clinicians are still trying to understand the best practices for how and when to implement early intervention…

Children With Autism and Abdominal Pain Have Distinctive Bacterial Profiles
 Children With Autism and Abdominal Pain Have Distinctive Bacterial Profiles 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

The microbiome may harbor causes of abdominal and behavioral issues and potential targets for relief. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and functional abdominal pain may have a distinct microbiome-neuroimmune profile compared to kids with gastrointestinal disorders (GI) and those with no GI illness. Building on others’ research showing that Clostridia bacteria in the gut are altered…

Integrating Research Into the “Journeys”
 Integrating Research Into the “Journeys” 1024 683 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

Along with their work to build an innovative follow-up program, Nationwide Children’s faculty and staff members are international leaders in NICU follow-up research. A number of foundation and National Institutes of Health-funded follow-up studies are housed entirely or in part at the hospital, and The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s is one of 17 member…

The First Study of Oncolytic HSV-1 in Children and Young Adults With Cancer Indicates Safety and Tolerability
 The First Study of Oncolytic HSV-1 in Children and Young Adults With Cancer Indicates Safety and Tolerability 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

The phase 1 trial shows safety and tolerance of HSV1716 in the pediatric population; evidence of viral replication in the blood and acute inflammation on PET/CT scans suggest a phase 2 trial for dosage and efficacy is warranted. HSV1716 – an oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 – has been studied in adults via injection into the…

A Narrow Focus: Perfecting Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts
 A Narrow Focus: Perfecting Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller
image of heart with fontan conduit highlighted

A pair of surgeon-researchers is perfecting tissue engineered vascular grafts through bench, clinical and computational modeling studies.

Two Genes Linked to Postpartum Immunity Revival in Women With Persistent Hepatitis C
 Two Genes Linked to Postpartum Immunity Revival in Women With Persistent Hepatitis C 150 150 Kevin Mayhood
By: Kevin Mayhood

Research may provide a model for identifying immune factors needed to control chronic infections. Alternative forms of two genes are associated with a boost in immunity to hepatitis C after childbirth, a study led by a Nationwide Children’s Hospital physician-researcher shows. At three months postpartum, the number of viruses circulating in the blood declined sharply…

Best Practices for Research Recruitment and Retention
 Best Practices for Research Recruitment and Retention 1024 575 Tiasha Letostak, PhD
By: Tiasha Letostak, PhD

You can’t obtain study data without participants. From initial design and promotion to communication tactics and patient satisfaction, here are some strategies to ensure success. Advancing pediatric research depends on successful recruitment and retention of study participants. Unfortunately, 9 out of 10 trials end up having to double their original timelines in order to meet…

Childhood Kidney Stones: Their Surprising Connection to Future Disease
 Childhood Kidney Stones: Their Surprising Connection to Future Disease 150 150 Jeb Phillips
By: Jeb Phillips

Once thought to be an adult condition, urinary stone disease is increasingly found in children – and may be related to the development of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and low bone density. By one well-regarded estimate, the risk of developing urinary stone disease in childhood doubled between 1997 and 2012. That’s worrying enough on…

Harnessing the Immune System: Has the Cure for Cancer Been Within Us All Along?
 Harnessing the Immune System: Has the Cure for Cancer Been Within Us All Along? 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

By learning to manipulate the immune system to target cancer cells, clinician-scientists are ushering in a new era in cancer treatments. The advances in cancer immunotherapy have been headline-making, and some clinical studies have produced stories of near-miraculous recoveries. From the immunotherapy drug credited with curing former president Jimmy Carter’s cancer (pembrolizumab) to the promising…

How Does Genomic Medicine Become a Reality for Children’s Health?
 How Does Genomic Medicine Become a Reality for Children’s Health? 1024 575 Jan Arthur
By: Jan Arthur
conceptual art of DNA

Perhaps one of the most important initiatives to advance our understanding of pediatric disease is genomic analysis. Genomics encompasses all aspects of understanding the human genetic code, especially how genetic information contained in every human cell can be interpreted to prevent disease and customize treatments for nearly every type of illness. Genomic analysis allows us…

Achieving CLARITY
 Achieving CLARITY 1024 575 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller
conceptual art of DNA

Multidisciplinary team from Nationwide Children’s wins international genomics competition. Accurate, patient-centered, comprehensive. That’s how the judges and leaders of the CLARITY Undiagnosed Challenge described the work of a team from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Those same words could be used to describe the highly motivated and diverse team who surprised themselves by winning the challenge. “When we entered the challenge, we knew we would…

Technology Expands Access to Translational Medicine
 Technology Expands Access to Translational Medicine 150 150 Abbie Miller
By: Abbie Miller

When primary care physicians, specialists and all the lab work in their arsenal fail to provide a diagnosis for debilitating symptoms, patients earn the label of “undiagnosed.” These undiagnosed patients wait with unresolved symptoms for medical research to catch up with them. The Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) at the National Institutes of Health sees 120-150 previously undefined…

Building the Modern-Day Vaccine
 Building the Modern-Day Vaccine 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
By: Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Vaccine development used to be straightforward. Now, the challenges are many and the successes are few. What will it take to overcome the obstacles presented by both immunology and society? For 160 years, vaccine after vaccine succeeded at safely and effectively preventing its targeted illness using a set of standard strategies. Scientists knew they simply…