UofL receives $1.25M grant from Norton Healthcare for pediatric research

Funds will go to six research areas

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 7, 2016) — Norton Healthcare has granted $1.25 million to the University of Louisville to support research initiatives related to a host of pediatric subspecialties.

Funds will go to pediatric cardiac regenerative medicine, pediatric surgery research, the Kosair Charities Pediatric Clinical Trials Unit, the UofL Autism Center at Kosair Charities, the Child and Adolescent Health Research Design and Support Unit and the Kosair Children’s Hospital Research Institute.

The $1.25 million provides one year of funding to the six research areas:

• $100,000 for pediatric cardiac regenerative medicine, led by Bradley B. Keller, MD, for research focusing on identifying the biomechanical origins of congenital heart disease and the development of implantable engineered cardiac tissues for repair and restoration using patient-derived human pluripotent stem cells. The goal of these studies is to repair and regenerate damaged heart muscle as an alternative to cardiac transplantation.
• $100,000 for the pediatric surgery research lab, led by Mary E. Fallat, MD, to support research in surgical techniques and outcomes, trauma practices and necrotizing enterocolitis, a disease that affects mostly the intestine of premature infants where the wall of the intestine is invaded by bacteria that cause local infection and inflammation that can ultimately destroy the bowel wall. Research in this area directly impacts the care children and neonates receive when they need surgical services.
• $100,000 for the Kosair Charities Pediatric Clinical Research Unit, led by Janice E. Sullivan, MD, to support the unit’s medication, quality improvement and device clinical trials. The goal of this unit is to improve health care provided to children through development of new or improved treatment practices and evaluation and approval of medical devices or medications for children.
• $250,000 for the UofL Autism Center at Kosair Charities led by Gregory N. Barnes, MD, PhD, to support the Precision Medicine Initiative in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The goal of this study is to use a child’s DNA to develop individualized treatment approaches to better restore the function of neural circuits in the brain, thereby improving behavior and cognitive skills.
• $300,000 for the Child and Adolescent Health Research Design and Support Unit led by Charles R. Woods Jr., MD, to support research projects around overprescribing of psychiatric medications and antimicrobial agents in children, as well as improving data availability to frontline state workers in the foster care system. The goal of this research unit is to improve the effectiveness, quality, safety and delivery of health care and prevention/health promotion services to children.
• $400,000 for the Kosair Children’s Hospital Research Institute led by Lu Cai, MD, PhD, for support in research programs in the areas of diabetes- and obesity-related multi-organ diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, neurobiological and carcinogenic susceptibility, molecular and cellular mechanisms and potential interventions. The focus of the institute is on basic and translational research, bringing these programs forward as quickly as possible from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.