Archive for genetics and genomics
Too many blood cells: Probing a blood cancer’s genetic origins
At age 7, Meredith Shah began having debilitating migraine headaches. “I would have trouble seeing and shapes were blurry,” she recalls. “It was really painful.” Over time, the frequency and intensity of the headaches escalated. Her parents, Heidi and Nil, sought the help of multiple specialists. But they received few answers, other than an indication ... Read More
Coordinated care and research for genetic cardiovascular disorders
Genetic cardiovascular disease in children sometimes comes to light in a crisis — a sudden collapse, sudden breathing difficulty, a sudden death in the family. Or it may be part of a diverse collection of symptoms, mostly having nothing to do with the heart. Sometimes it is picked up incidentally. “From an incidental ECG finding ... Read More
Gene therapy’s future may be all about the bases
Gene therapy offers the possibility of a cure for many genetic disorders, especially those involving a single gene. The first kind of gene therapy used a virus to carry a corrected copy of the gene into people’s cells. When the early viral vectors used in the 1990s were found to have off-target effects, sometimes even ... Read More
A master regulator of kidney health?
End-stage kidney disease often begins with injury to podocytes. These highly specialized cells are a critical part of the glomeruli, clusters of capillaries that serve as the filtration units in our kidneys’ tightly-packed nephrons. As their name suggests, podocytes extend tiny foot processes to intermingle with the capillaries and filter the blood, maintaining the proper ... Read More
Diving into the dark side of ependymoma
Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD, a neuro-oncologist at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, is driven by a desire to find new therapies for some of the hardest-to-treat pediatric brain tumors. At the core of her work is an effort to uncover the events that shape tumor development. Key takeaways:· Aggressive ependymoma tumors are stuck ... Read More
Coming to Boston Children’s during COVID-19: Keith’s story
At just 4 years old, Keith Bennett has spent more time in the hospital than most kids ever will. Diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease called nephrotic syndrome, he visits Boston Children’s Hospital several times a week — and has continued to do so throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as Boston Children’s begins to move ... Read More
Boston Children’s Hospital leads national study on pediatric COVID-19 and MIS-C
Why are children largely spared from COVID-19 — and why do a few become extremely sick? To find out, Boston Children’s Hospital launched a national study in April to perform real-time surveillance at more than 35 U.S. children’s hospitals. In May, when multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) began appearing, that still-mysterious condition was added ... Read More
Tracking an organism’s development, cell by cell
A new mouse model allows scientists to track every cell in the body — from the embryo stage until adulthood. The system is the first of its kind and should yield a greater understanding of development, aging, and disease. Scientists described it last week in the journal Cell. “The dream of many developmental biologists for ... Read More
Going into science: Women scientists at Boston Children’s offer advice to girls
In honor of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), we invited women scientists at all stages of their careers at Boston Children’s Hospital to share their scientific agendas. Here is some of what they had to say. The scientists also offered their advice for girls interested in entering the field. ... Read More
Ava’s journey with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
Claire Poole never thought a 10-year-old could have a heart condition. So when her daughter, Ava, slumped against the wall exhausted and complaining of arm pain one Sunday in 2012, Claire assumed she had overextended herself at a sleepover the previous night. “When we got into the car, Ava turned grey and had trouble breathing,” ... Read More