Tag Archive for: annual report

desktop computer showing the CNRI Annual Report

Driving pediatric breakthroughs through 2023

desktop computer showing the CNRI Annual ReportThe Children’s National Research Institute released its 2022-2023 Academic Annual Report. In the report, a summary of the past academic year highlights the accomplishments of each of the institute’s research centers, provides research funding figures and exalts some of the institute’s biggest milestones.

The stories in the report are a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at the Children’s National Research Institute.

We celebrated five decades of leadership and mentorship of Naomi Luban, M.D., and her incredible accomplishments in the W@TCH program, which have been instrumental in shaping the future of pediatric research.

We also celebrated innovation, highlighting our recent FDA award to lead a pediatric device consortium, which recognizes our commitment to developing innovative medical devices that improve the lives of children.

Breakthroughs at the Research & Innovation Campus continued as our researchers worked tirelessly to develop new treatments and therapies that will transform the lives of children and families around the world.

Taking a look at the breakthroughs happening in our now six research centers, we spotlighted the following stories:

  • Reflecting on decades of progress in the blood, marrow and cell therapy programs at Children’s National. Our researchers have made significant strides in this field, and we are proud to be at the forefront of these life-saving treatments.
  • In genetic medicine, we continue to be a beacon of hope for families facing rare and complex conditions. Our researchers are making incredible breakthroughs that are changing the landscape of pediatric medicine.
  • We are also proud to share the $90 million award received from an anonymous donor to support pediatric brain tumor research. The predominant focus of this award is to develop new treatments that will improve outcomes for children with this devastating disease.
  • This year, we opened a new Center that enhances our research capabilities in the field of Prenatal, Neonatal & Maternal Health Research. We are excited about the possibilities this new center will bring and look forward to the discoveries that will emerge from it.
  • In addition, we are driving future pandemic readiness with the NIH funded Pediatric Pandemic Network. Our researchers are using cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches to prepare for the next pandemic and protect children.
  • We are also exploring the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in pediatric breakthroughs. Our researchers are using machine learning and other AI techniques to develop new treatments and therapies that will transform the lives of children.
Vittorio Gallo and Mark Batshaw

Children’s National Research Institute releases annual report

Vittorio Gallo and Marc Batshaw

Children’s National Research Institute directors Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D., and Mark Batshaw, M.D.

The Children’s National Research Institute recently released its 2019-2020 academic annual report, titled 150 Years Stronger Through Discovery and Care to mark the hospital’s 150th birthday. Not only does the annual report give an overview of the institute’s research and education efforts, but it also gives a peek in to how the institute has mobilized to address the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our inaugural research program in 1947 began with a budget of less than $10,000 for the study of polio — a pressing health problem for Washington’s children at the time and a pandemic that many of us remember from our own childhoods,” says Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D., chief research officer at Children’s National Hospital and scientific director at Children’s National Research Institute. “Today, our research portfolio has grown to more than $75 million, and our 314 research faculty and their staff are dedicated to finding answers to many of the health challenges in childhood.”

Highlights from the Children’s National Research Institute annual report

  • In 2018, Children’s National began construction of its new Research & Innovation Campus (CNRIC) on 12 acres of land transferred by the U.S. Army as part of the decommissioning of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus. In 2020, construction on the CNRIC will be complete, and in 2012, the Children’s National Research Institute will begin to transition to the campus.
  • In late 2019, a team of scientists led by Eric Vilain, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Genetic Medicine Research, traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to collect samples from 60 individuals that will form the basis of a new reference genome data set. The researchers hope their project will generate better reference genome data for diverse populations, starting with those of Central African descent.
  • A gift of $5.7 million received by the Center for Translational Research’s director, Lisa Guay-Woodford, M.D., will reinforce close collaboration between research and clinical care to improve the care and treatment of children with polycystic kidney disease and other inherited renal disorders.
  • The Center for Neuroscience Research’s integration into the infrastructure of Children’s National Hospital has created a unique set of opportunities for scientists and clinicians to work together on pressing problems in children’s health.
  • Children’s National and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases are tackling pediatric research across three main areas of mutual interest: primary immune deficiencies, food allergies and post-Lyme disease syndrome. Their shared goal is to conduct clinical and translational research that improves what we know about those conditions and how we care for children who have them.
  • An immunotherapy trial has allowed a little boy to be a kid again. In the two years since he received cellular immunotherapy, Matthew has shown no signs of a returning tumor — the longest span of time he’s been tumor-free since age 3.
  • In the past 6 years, the 104 device projects that came through the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation accelerator program raised $148,680,256 in follow-on funding.
  • Even though he’s watched more than 500 aspiring physicians pass through the Children’s National pediatric residency program, program director Dewesh Agrawal, M.D., still gets teary at every graduation.

Understanding and treating the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

In a short period of time, Children’s National Research Institute has mobilized its scientists to address COVID-19, focusing on understanding the virus and advancing solutions to ameliorate the impact today and for future generations. Children’s National Research Institute Director Mark Batshaw, M.D., highlighted some of these efforts in the annual report:

  • Eric Vilain, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Genetic Medicine Research, is looking at whether or not the microbiome of bacteria in the human nasal tract acts as a defensive shield against COVID-19.
  • Catherine Bollard, M.D., MBChB, director of the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, and her team are seeing if they can “train” T cells to attack the invading coronavirus.
  • Sarah Mulkey, M.D., Ph.D., an investigator in the Center for Neuroscience Research and the Fetal Medicine Institute, is studying the effects of, and possible interventions for, coronavirus on the developing brain.

You can view the entire Children’s National Research Institute academic annual report online.