Investigators in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University hold many NIH-supported grants. Larger, multicenter projects are:

Child Health Research Center

The Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine has received a five year renewal of its designation as a Child Health Research Center of Excellence by the National Institutes of Health. This Center, supported by a $2 million grant, is using models developed at the Center to study pathology of diseases that affect children. With this center, which focuses on human developmental biology, we have the ability both to understand the pathology of the diseases, as well as to evaluate new treatments that eventually will benefit children. More information is available on the CHRC web site. The principal investigator for this project is Dr. Alan Schwartz.

Silent Cerebral Infarct Multi-Center Clinical Trial

Silent cerebral infarct is the most common cause of severe neurological disease in children with sickle cell anemia, occurring in 22% of this population prior to their 18th birthday. The overall goal of this project is to determine whether blood transfusion therapy will decrease further neurologic morbidity in children with silent cerebral infarcts, and if so, the magnitude of this benefit. We are instituting a multi-center randomized trial with 22 Clinical Sites, a Clinical Coordinating Center and a Statistical Coordinating Center to test the primary hypothesis that prophylactic blood transfusion therapy in children with silent cerebral infarcts will result in reduction in the rate of subsequent overt strokes or new cerebral infarcts as defined by MRI of the brain. The secondary aims of this trial are determining whether: 1) prophylactic blood transfusion therapy will limit further decline in general intellectual abilities; and 2) the overall benefits of blood transfusion therapy for silent cerebral infarcts outweigh risks associated with this therapy in a formal risk benefit analysis. We anticipate results of this study could lead to a change in standard care practices for children affected with both sickle cell disease and silent cerebral infarcts. The principal investigator for this project is Dr. Michael DeBaun. More information can be found on the SIT website.

There are several School of Medicine programs run by our faculty that benefit the St. Louis area and the nation as a whole.

Sickle Cell Sabbath

The Sickle Cell Sabbath Program began in 1999 as a grass roots community effort to increase African-American blood donations in the metropolitan St. Louis area. Since that time the program has grown into a community-based initiative that is supported by a collaborative partnership between the Washington University School of Medicine, the American Red Cross, St. Louis and Cardinal Glennon’s Children’s Hospital, the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank, and the St. Louis City Health Department.

The original concept for the Sickle Cell Sabbath operated as an educational model to increase awareness about SCD in the African-American faith community. The program was modified to include an education session, a donor-directed blood drive and sickle cell trait testing components. In addition the donor-directed blood drives honor the contributions of Dr. Charles Drew, an African-American physician who pioneered modern blood banking techniques. Sickle Cell Sabbath blood drives are unique in that the blood drives are set-up to screen donors as potential matches for patients with SCD. More information can be found on the Sickle Cell Sabbath website

The Ferring Scholars Program

The Ferring Scholars Program is a three year program designed for high school students who are interested in careers in health care or biomedical research. The goal of the program is to provide participants with an in-depth and rigorous, mentored research experience throughout high school, in preparation for continued research experience in college and eventually graduate school.

Participants work closely with a carefully selected faculty member at Washington University School of Medicine to develop and conduct independent research projects. In addition to the research experience, the Program features journal club, individualized career counseling, social activities, and workshops directed at maximizing their high school and college experience. More information can be found on the Ferring Scholars website

• Asthma Network
• Staphylococcus aureus Decolonization Study (SuDS)
• StL StaRS: St. Louis Staphylococcus aureus Reduction Study (STIR)

Sleep And Asthma Cohort (SAC) Study

The Sickle Cell Anemia Sleep & Asthma Cohort Study (SAC) is a research study that will try to determine how asthma, with or without low levels of oxygen during sleep, causes an increase in pain episodes or lung complications in children with sickle cell anemia.

This four-year observational study involves three sites in the United States and England. The study is funded by a $7.9 million National Institutes of Health grant, awarded to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, serving as the lead clinical center with Robert C. Strunk, MD, Donald Strominger Professor of Pediatrics as Principal Investigator with Dr. Michael Debaun as the coordinating center at Vanderbilt University. More information can be found on the SAC website.

Hirschsprung Disease Study

Dr. Robert Heuckeroth is leading a study to learn more about the underlying causes of Hirschsprung disease, a birth defect where the enteric nervous system (ENS) is missing from the end of the bowel. The ENS is the part of the nervous system that controls intestinal activity and when the ENS is missing, the bowel does not work properly. Hirschsprung disease is a genetic disorder that can cause severe illness. We are trying to find new ways to treat and prevent Hirschsprung disease. More information about Hirschsprung disease and our human research studies can be found at our website.

Clinical Activity Studies

• Asthma
• Bronchiolitis
• Chronic Lung Disease of Infancy
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Pediatric Lung Transplantation
• Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome