News & Events | Overview
- Boston Children’s hosts Climate & Kids’ Health Action Forum: Massachusetts leaders, health experts, and community members united to discuss climate, health, and policy.
- 2 Boston Children’s researchers elected to National Academy of Sciences: George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, and Jeffrey R. Holt, PhD, received one of the national and international research community’s highest honors.
- Partnering diet and intestinal microbes to protect against GI disease: New research published in Cell suggests that we could get more out of our diets by harnessing intestinal microbes to break down plant compounds collectively known as phenolic glycosides. These compounds pair sugar molecules with a host of small molecules beneficial to human health.
- Carla Kim named 2024 AAAS Fellow: Dr. Kim is being recognized for her distinguished work in the use of stem cell biology to study lung cancer and lung disease.
- Pediatric high-grade gliomas: Research reveals effective targeting with avapritinib: Findings of a recent multicenter study led by Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD, co-director of the Brain Tumor Center, suggest that PDGFRA could be a potential therapeutic target for pediatric high-grade gliomas.
- Patriots’ Coach Vrabel, Celtics’ Sam Hauser and Coach Mazzulla and 700+ Granite teammates raise $3.55 million to benefit Boston Children’s Hospital: This brings the total raised in the history of "Saving by Shaving" to more than $58.5 million.
- A call for federally funded pediatric firearm injury prevention research: A new study highlights the need for an investment in firearm injury prevention research to reduce rising fatality and injury rates.
- A surprising link between Crohn’s disease and the Epstein-Barr virus: A longitudinal study just published in Gastroenterology systematically looked at the role of viruses in Crohn’s and found strong evidence that EBV infection predisposes people to develop Crohn’s.
- Kimberly Stegmaier named as Associate Chief of Division of Hematology/Oncology at Boston Children’s Hospital: Dr. Stegmaier was Vice Chair for Pediatric Oncology Research at Dana-Farber, Co-Director of the Pediatric Hematologic Malignancy Program at Dana-Farber and Boston Children’s Hospital, Co-Leader for the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Leukemia Program, and a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.
- Could peripheral neuropathy be stopped before it starts? New research finds that macrophages play a protective role in trying to prevent neuropathy from developing, suggesting a new pathway to target.
- Food allergies in children associated with risk of anxieties and bullying: Many children with food allergies experience psychosocial burdens associated with food-allergy related bullying and anxiety.
- A new tool could exponentially expand our understanding of bacteria: A new study, combining powerful genomic-scale microscopy with a technical innovation, captured which genes bacteria turn on in different situations and in different spatial environments.
- Could we cure or prevent food allergy by targeting an intestinal protein? Excess amounts of the protein RELMb changes the profile of intestinal microbes in a way that cause the body not to tolerate certain triggering foods, finds a new study from Boston Children’s.
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center recognized for exceptional outcomes in pediatric stem cell transplant: It received an outstanding review from the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), scoring +1, the highest possible score, on its annual report.
- Changing lives through genetics: The Children’s Rare Disease Collaborative: Launched in 2018, the CRDC has analyzed DNA from more than 13,800 patients and family members. More than 30 percent of enrolled patients now have explanations or promising potential explanations for their conditions.
- Model enables study of age-specific responses to COVID mRNA vaccines in a dish: The test system, called MEMPHIS (Modular Evaluation of immunogenicity using Multi-Platform Human In vitro Systems), It applied both proteomics and targeted assays to measure the production of cytokines (immune signaling proteins) induced by mRNA vaccines.
- Base editing, a new form of gene therapy, leaves patient feeling "more than fine": A new trial called BEACON is testing base editing — the most precise form of gene therapy yet developed — as a way to boost fetal hemoglobin production.
- New study reveals critical role of C1q protein in neuronal function and aging: A groundbreaking study has revealed that an immune protein impacts neuronal protein synthesis in the aging brain.
- From 'hit to vial': Discovery and optimization of a promising vaccine adjuvant: Two Boston Children's researchers identified a new and promising adjuvant, compounds added to vaccines to boost recipients' immune responses, of their own.
- Stuart Orkin awarded the Shaw Prize in Life Science & Medicine 2024 for groundbreaking hemoglobin research: Dr. Orkin’s discoveries made possible the world’s first FDA-approved therapy using CRISPR/Cas9 — Casgevy.
- Brain wiring predicted adolescents’ emotional health during COVID-19 pandemic: Drawing on national data, a large study finds that how adolescents’ brains were wired before the pandemic predicted their stress, negative emotions, and overall mental health during its height.
- 2 Boston Children’s Hospital researchers elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences: Chinfei Chen, MD, PhD, and Sun Hur, PhD, are two of only 250 individuals elected to the Academy in 2024.
- Historically redlined areas see more modern-day gun violence: New research from Boston Children’s Hospital suggests that areas of U.S. cities graded as 'hazardous' in the 1930s are nearly six times more likely to have non-suicide firearm fatalities today.
- Ancient DNA reveals origin of racial/ethnic disparity in a childhood cancer: Researchers identify a genetic variant that explains why more Hispanic/Latino children are diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and uncover the mutation’s Indigenous American ancestral origins.
- How the brain wakes us from daydreams: Boston Children’s researchers discover that activity in the dentate gyrus keeps us focused on our environment when our mind wanders
- Infantile spasms: Speeding referrals for all infants: Boston Children’s researchers develop teaching module to improve health equity for infantile spasms
- Predicting prenatal care to improve pregnancy outcomes: This could help policymakers allocate resources to populations not getting enough prenatal care and could, in turn, improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.
- The Pediatric Physicians’ Organization at Boston Children’s Hospital names Dr. Margaret Fry as President, Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Fry will be responsible for the leadership, vision, and oversight of the PPOC, a network of physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who are dedicated to providing pediatric primary care exclusively throughout Massachusetts.
- Dr. Matthew Siegel appointed to dual leadership position at Boston Children’s Hospital, Franciscan Children’s: Dr. Siegel will be a key leader in strengthening the impact of the combined Boston Children’s and Franciscan Children’s system of care.
- Boston Children’s receives a contract of up to $9 million from NIH to improve flu vaccines: The Precision Vaccines Program received funding to develop a small molecule adjuvant to enhance the effectiveness of flu vaccines.
- A step toward understanding early interventions for Huntington’s disease: Research from Boston Children’s Hospital suggests that there might be a way to protect the brain and prevent or slow cognitive decline.
- Boston Children’s researchers uncover insights into the developmental trajectory of autism: A new study suggests nearly 40% of kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders as toddlers no longer meet the criteria at age 6, underscoring the importance of developmental follow-up for children diagnosed at a young age.
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Franciscan Children’s finalize new affiliation to reshape children’s mental health, rehabilitative care: This affiliation will reshape children’s mental health and rehabilitative care in Massachusetts and throughout the region.
- Boston Children’s Hospital ranked among best in nation in 2023 by U.S. News & World Report: Boston Children’s Hospital is ranked among the best pediatric hospitals in the nation in this year’s U.S. News & World Report’s "Best Children’s Hospitals” honor roll, ranking second this year.
- Boston Children’s Hospital launches first division of addiction medicine at a pediatric hospital: This move highlights the importance of providing multidisciplinary care amid a nationwide substance use epidemic.
- 3 Boston Children's researchers elected to Association of American Physicians: Election to AAP is an honor extended to less than 100 physicians per year for their outstanding basic or translational research.
- Boston Children’s Hospital to help lead research in NSF AI Institute for Societal Decision Making: AI-SDM will improve the response to societal challenges such as disaster management and public health.
- BMI and the adolescent brain: A concerning association: Preteens with excess BMI have notable differences in cognitive performance, brain structures, and brain circuitry.
- Immune Development in Early Life (IDEAL) study to identify new approaches for predicting and preventing childhood disease: IDEAL aims to discover modifiable cellular and molecular pathways of the developing infant immune system to improve infant vaccine responsiveness and prevent respiratory disease.
- A new immune pathway sheds light on ALS: The study team found that proteins involved in the innate immune system could be at the root of the disease.
- Boston Children’s Hospital names Wendy Chung, MD, PhD, Chief of the Department of Pediatrics: In addition to her role as Chief of the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Chung will serve as the Mary Ellen Avery Professor at Harvard Medical School (HMS), and President of the Children’s Hospital Pediatric Associates.
- Boston Children’s ramps up single-cell discovery as a powerful lens on disease: A $10 million grant will support collaborations across the hospital to create a curated pediatric ‘cell atlas’ to identify disease origins and effective treatments.
- Earlier detection of a malignancy in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1): A Boston Children's team's findings may help with diagnosing the tumors as they transform from benign to malignant, and for determining better treatment approaches.