News from Children's Research Institute
November
11/12/09 - Study on pain treatment for children featured on WUWM-FM 88.9.
Amy Drendel, MD, is a doctor in the Emergency Department at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin who is the lead author of a study on pain treatment of children with arm fractures, which appeared in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. Listen to audio.
July
7/16/09 - Investigators identify, treat new disease
Investigators at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin were featured in the New England Journal of Medicine for discovering a new type inflammatory disease in newborns.
A newborn came to the hospital with multiple symptoms. Physicians determined the baby had a genetic deletion and wasn't able to produce anakinra. Physicians helped cure him using medication to supplement the anakinra. It is the first report of this new inflammatory disease in newborns.
Physicians involved in the treatment and discovery included James Verbsky, MD, PhD, pediatric rheumatologist, Children's Hospital and assistant professor, Pediatrics (Rheumatology), The Medical College of Wisconsin; and Martin Hessner, PhD, investigator, Children's Research Institute and associate professor, Pediatrics, the Medical College.
7/16/09 - Pediatric brain cancer research gets St. Baldrick's Foundation support
Fritz Sieber, PhD, investigator at Children's Research Institute, received a $50,000 St. BaldrickÕs Foundation grant to research a new therapy that could improve the quality of life for pediatric brain cancer survivors. Dr. Sieber also is professor of Pediatrics (Hematology and Oncology) at The Medical College of Wisconsin.
Through the grant, awarded through the Medical College, Dr. Sieber is researching whether selenium, if administered in high doses following radiation therapy for brain tumors, can reduce or eliminate radiation injury to normal brain tissue.
In the U.S. each year, more than 200,000 patients receive whole-brain or large-field radiation to treat brain tumors. Although radiation therapy is in part responsible for the improved survival of children with brain tumors, it also can cause significant damage to normal brain tissue. As a result, long-term survivors of pediatric brain tumors often have major learning disabilities and behavioral problems. They may be unable to perform simple, everyday tasks, such as driving a car.
St. Baldrick's began in 2000 with a St. Patrick's Day fundraiser in New York, where the organizers shaved their heads in solidarity with children being treated for cancer. After officially forming in 2004, the foundation now coordinates worldwide head-shaving events that raise money to support childhood cancer research. Since its inception more than 100,000 heads have been shaved for the cause.
7/1/09 - Cancer researchers link DICER1 gene mutation to rare childhood cancer: Finding may have implications for gene's role in other cancers
Jason Jarzembowski, MD, PhD, program director of Perinatal Pathology at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and assistant professor of Pathology at The Medical College of Wisconsin, was involved in a study with Children's National Medical Center that demonstrated the first definitive link between mutations in the gene DICER1 and cancer. The research was published in the June Science Express from Science.
By studying the patterns of DNA from 11 families with an unusual predisposition to the rare childhood lung cancer pleuropulmonary blastoma, investigators found that children with the cancer carried a mutation in one of their two DICER1 gene copies. Investigators determined that DICER1 was in the segment of chromosome that was shared among children with PPB. The implications of a defect in a master controller gene for normal organ development would be significant.
Studying tumor cells for genetic mutations has led to many advances in the understanding of cancer. This discovery may represent a first step in understanding a new mechanism for how cancer begins.
7/1/09 - Ellis D. Avner, MD, senior editor of newly released Pediatric Nephrology, sixth edition, 2009
Ellis D. Avner, MD, director, Children's Research Institute; professor, Pediatrics and Physiology, and associate dean, Research, The Medical College of Wisconsin, is the senior editor of the recently published sixth edition of Pediatric Nephrology. The textbook is the leading reference on childhood kidney diseases. The updated textbook focuses on advances in diagnostics and therapeutics and is designed for a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals caring for patients with these diseases. A special section is dedicated to the impact of rapid research in molecular genetics, cell biology and evidence-based medicine on new approaches to improving care for children with acute and chronic kidney diseases. The textbook has been endorsed by the International Pediatric Nephrology Association as a global reference text in the field of pediatric kidney disease.
June
6/15/09 - Researchers first to publish results of rapid genetic test of novel swine-origin influenza prevalence.
6/1/09 - UWM, Children's Research Institute and the Medical College receive $8.5 million for children's environmental health research.
May
5/11/09 - Investigator receives award from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
5/5/09 - Investigators honored for innovative research.
April
4/2/09 - Prematurity: New Research Directions - Watch the video from Alan Fleischman, MD, senior vice president and medical director of March of Dimes.
March
3/31/09 - Prematurity and the scientific potential and ethical challenges of the National Children's Study
3/25/09 - Investigators awarded grant to study genetic basis of acute respiratory distress syndrome in children
3/16/09 - Governor Doyle visits, learns about research at Children's Research  Institute
Gov. Jim Doyle visited Children's Research Institute Monday, March 16, to learn about the cutting-edge, innovative research center located in Milwaukee. After a tour of the laboratories, the governor heard from investigators about their research and how the support of the state government and donors has impacted health care for Wisconsin children.
"We're very proud of what we have here, and we know that you, Governor, and the people of Wisconsin have been instrumental in building this place," said Bill Abraham, board chair of Children's Research Institute. "From environmental and community health to genomic sequencing, weÕre driving discovery for pediatric health by collaborating with expertise across the state."
The governor finished his visit by asking more questions about research and its impact on the health care of the stateÕs children. "It's clear you've done great things here. It's wonderful," said Doyle.
April
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