Children's Memorial Research Center

Nancy Kuntz, MD in the Neurology Division and colleagues offer one clinic per month for children with neuromuscular disorders.

Working with Christine DiDonato, PhD, Kuntz is looking for biomarkers of disease severity in children with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease that attacks nerve cells and causes patients to lose motor control over time.

A study conducted by the George Washington University and the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children found that a community social

marketing campaign on obesity risk factors was effective with parents, but that the effect did not lead to positive behavioral outcomes for their children.

Michael Miller, MD and Marisa Klein-Gitelman, MD, MPH in the Division of Rheumatology led a study to evaluate treatment outcomes in patients with

juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). This was done using Xenobase, an application permitting analyses of complex relationships from de-identified patient records.

NP-C is a fatal genetic disease in which excessive amounts of cholesterol accumulate in the liver and spleen and excessive amounts of other lipids in the brain.

The Ahlgren laboratory cloned the zebrafish equivalent of the NP-C gene and determined that the gene is required early for proper cell movements and cholesterol localization and later for cell survival.

A team of pediatric cardiologists collaborated with radiologists Cynthia Rigsby, MD and Stanley Kim, MD in acquiring

state-of-the-art computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) scans to best evaluate congenital heart disorders.

Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH in the Division of General Academic Pediatrics and colleagues from the Smith Child Health Research

Program published data suggesting that one in 13 U.S. children suffers from food allergies, a figure that is double the latest government estimate.

Earl Cheng, MD and Arun Sharma, PhD collaborate with colleagues at the Feinberg School. They plan to leap forward this year with the addition of Edward Gong, MD.

His impressive laboratory experience will be the next step to creating the artificial bladder and understanding neuro-vascular concepts vital in the progress to correct congenital abnormalities.