News in Brief
New Rotavirus Vaccine Approved for Use in Mexico
Mexico has become the first country to approve use of a rotavirus vaccine developed at Cincinnati Children's. This vaccine was licensed to Glaxo SmithKline, which will market it under the name Rotarix®. Richard Ward, PhD, and David Bernstein, MD, of the Division of Infectious Diseases, began work on the vaccine in the early 1980s. Successful use in Mexico is expected to pave the way for rapid approval elsewhere, beginning in 11 other Latin American countries which have been conducting Phase III trials.
Rising Rates for Debilitating Disease of the Esophagus
A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that rates of a recently identified and debilitating disorder called eosinophilic esophagitis have risen dramatically in recent years. Incidence of this disorder may be at a higher level than that of other inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. The study's senior author, Marc Rothenberg, MD, PhD, director of Allergy and Immunology at Cincinnati Children's, directs clinical trials in support of finding a cure for this disease.
Recent Developments Advance Research in Cystic Fibrosis
Scientists at Cincinnati Children's have identified a missing piece of the puzzle of how lung damage occurs in cystic fibrosis (CF). They found a deficiency in the airways of children with CF of a class of molecules called lipoxins, which are key regulators of inflammation. According to Christopher Karp, MD, director of Molecular Immunology at Cincinnati Children's and the study's main author, the discovery provides impetus for the development of novel therapeutics that decrease inflammation in children with CF.
Grant Funding Enables Researchers to "Raise the Bar" in Pediatric Health Care
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has a renowned research staff that attracts millions of dollars in research funding and private and corporate donations annually. These funds are reinvested into research supplies, equipment and salaries so our researchers have the resources to continually "raise the bar" in the pediatric health care field. We are ranked third in funding among comprehensive pediatric centers receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. Recent grants obtained include the following:
| Brown, N.; Investigation of Mammalian Retinal Neuron Development; National Institutes of Health; 8/1/04 - 7/31/08; $925,000 |
| Devarajan, P.: A Novel Biomaker for Early Ischemic Renal Injury; American Heart Association - Ohio Affiliate, Inc.; 7/1/04 - 6/30/06; $110,000 |
| Dorn, L.: Smoking and Metabolic Complications in Adolescent Girls; National Institutes of Health; 2/1/04 - 1/31/09; $2,017,881 |
| Kahn, R.; Childhood Asthma in the Era of Genomics: Will the Generalist's Role Need To Be Recast?; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; 7/1/04 - 6/30/08; $296,647 |
| Kashikar-Zuck, S.: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Juvenile Fibromyalgia; National Institutes of Health; 7/1/04 - 6/30/09; $1,630,447 |
| Pestian, J.: Biomedical Research and Technology Transfer, Computational Medicine Center; Ohio Department of Development; 12/15/03 - 6/15/07; $7,214,460 |
| Pestian, J.: Wright Center of Innovation; Ohio Department of Development; 12/15/03 - 6/15/07; $19,765,170 |
| Ware, S.: Zic3 and the Control of Body Pattern Formation; National Institutes of Health; 8/1/04 - 7/31/06; $238,850 |
| Weaver, T.: Regulation of Respiratory Epithelial Cell Homeostasis; National Institutes of Health; 8/10/04 - 6/30/09; $6,892,425 |
| Wills-Karp, M.: Interleukin-13 in Experimental Asthma; National Institutes of Health; 7/1/04 - 6/30/09; $7,008,574 |
| Yolton, K.: Exploration of ETS Effects on Child Behavior and Sleep; National Institutes of Health; 5/1/04 - 3/31/06; $285,000 |
