The role of asymmetric cell division in cancer is still a mystery. Institute fellow Raji Natarajan seeks to put a key molecular piece of information into the puzzle. ... more

A problem as simple as a ruptured appendix can quickly become a life-threatening event for a child. Even with prompt surgery and excellent post-operative care, children occasionally develop sepsis syndrome, a complex systemic inflammatory condition which can complicate an otherwise treatable infection. In the United States, children who develop sepsis syndrome have a 1 in 10 chance of dying, accounting for about 4,300 preventable deaths annually. ... more

Oct. 23, 2008 -- Clubfoot, one of the most common birth defects, has long been thought to have a genetic component. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have found the first gene linked to clubfoot in humans. ... more

The First Annual Children's Discovery Institute Investors Meeting was held October 20, 2008 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center. St. Louis Children's Hospital President Lee Fetter welcomed guests before turning the microphone over to Dr. Alan Schwartz, Executive Director of the Institute. Dr. Schwartz discussed the Institute's history and current portfolio of research initiatives as well as progress to date. ... more

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, led by Karen L. Wooley, Ph.D., James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, is a step closer to delivering cancer-killing drugs to pediatric brain tumors, similar to the tumor that Senator Ted Kennedy is suffering from. ... more

Are children who mount very robust responses to immune challenges predisposed to autoimmune diseases such as lupus and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis? Dr. Barak Cohen is probing genetic variation in the immune response to find out. His research may lead to better treatments for children with these types of disorders. ... more

Four new research awards announced today by the Children’s Discovery Institute have pushed the Institute’s investment in novel pediatric research programs to more than $7.5 million since 2006. This year alone, the Institute has awarded $3 million in grants to 13 investigators. ... more

The heart's regular rhythm depends on the electrical signals that cycle through it. ... more

Ironically, Erik Herzog was experiencing jet lag when he sat down to discuss his new Children’s Discovery Institute grant to study circadian rhythms. “Jet lag is an example of what happens when your biological clock is out of synch with local time,” he said. “It’s a good illustration of the power of circadian rhythms on our body processes.” ... more

We can celebrate the fact that children born with heart defects are living longer than ever before, thanks to advances in medicine and surgery. In fact, in the United States eight out of 10 babies born with congenital heart disease now reach their 16th birthday. ... more