Tag Archive for: neurology

Yuan Zhu

Yuan Zhu, Ph.D., receives Outstanding Scientist Award

Yuan Zhu

The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center recently announced the selection of the 2021 GW Cancer Center Awards, recognizing excellence in research, mentorship and early career contributions.

The GW Cancer Center Outstanding Scientist Award was presented to Yuan Zhu, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) and Children’s National Hospital. The award is presented to faculty members who make a noteworthy contribution in the areas of basic science, clinical science, translational science or population science.

In his nomination, Dr. Zhu was cited for his contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of tumors and altered brain development arising in the setting of the inherited condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). “Throughout his career, Dr. Zhu has had a remarkable consistency of focus in his scholarly work, where he has sought to advance new molecular and mechanistic insights to understand the biological basis of NF1 and the cancers arising in individuals affected by this genetic disease.”

You can find a full list of award winners here.

Miriam Bornhorst

Miriam Bornhorst, M.D., receives DOD New Investigator Award

Miriam Bornhorst

Miriam Bornhorst, M.D., clinical director of the Gilbert Neurofibromatosis Institute at Children’s National Hospital, received the Department of Defense’s Neurofibromatosis Research Program New Investigator Award.

This award, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, has granted $450,000 in funds which Dr. Bornhorst hopes to use towards a study for patients with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1).

“There is very little known about metabolism in NF1, but we know that abnormalities in metabolism can not only affect a person’s overall health, but may also influence how tumors develop and grow,” Dr. Bornhorst explained.

Patients with NF1 can have defining clinical features related to growth and energy metabolism, such as short stature, low weight and decreased bone mineral density, findings that are more prominent in patients with high plexiform neurofibroma (a nerve sheath tumor) burden. The mechanism for this metabolic phenotype and its association with plexiform neurofibromas is not currently understood.

Preliminary data and the work of others suggest that the MAPK pathway may play a role in metabolism and Mek-inhibitor (MEKi) treatment, which decreases activity of the MAPK pathway and promotes weight gain in patients with NF1. Dr. Bornhorst’s study will be the first to explore global metabolism in NF1, determine which metabolic pathways are most active in plexiform neurofibromas and define how metabolomic signatures change during MEKi treatment.

“These findings will improve management and may lead to novel treatment options for patients with NF1,” she said. “It is my hope that the grant funding received for my study will not only allow me to generate data that will answer questions about metabolism in NF1, but foster interest in this topic so there are more opportunities for researchers in the future.”

The NFRP was initiated in 1996 to provide support for research of exceptional scientific merit that promotes the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of neurofibromatosis (NF) including NF type 1 (NF1) and type 2 (NF2) and schwannomatosis. Since it was first offered, 346 new Investigator Award applications have been received and only 79 have been recommended for funding – with Children’s National receiving one in the latest grant cycle. The Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute at Children’s National is one of the world’s largest programs and the longest standing program in the United States.

Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.

Dr. Wells with patient

Elizabeth Wells, M.D., named Vice President of the Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine Center

Dr. Wells with patient

Elizabeth Wells, M.D., Vice President of the Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine Center, interacting with patient.

Elizabeth Ann Molloy Wells, M.D., MHS, has been appointed to the role of Vice President of the Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine Center at Children’s National Hospital. This new role has been created to further the growth of the Center, broaden and deepen the leadership structure and allow Children’s National to continue to deliver the highest level of care, education, safety and scholarship for our patients and families. “I joined Children’s National 15 years ago as a pediatric neurology resident because I thought it was the best place to train and develop in academic neurology, and I am so honored to serve as the Neuroscience Center Vice-President” said Dr. Wells.

Dr. Wells is a graduate of Harvard University and the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She holds a master’s in Health Science from the NIH-Duke Clinical Research Training Program. Dr. Wells completed her pediatrics and neurology training at Children’s National and has been on staff as a pediatric neurologist within the Brain Tumor Institute and the Division of Neurology for the past 10 years. In addition to caring for children with neurologic effects from cancer, Dr. Wells developed the multidisciplinary program in pediatric neuro-immunology. She serves on numerous national committees and receives national and international referrals for children with neuro-inflammatory disorders. She is a principal investigator for translational research studies and serves in a leadership role for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the District of Columbia Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center.  Dr. Wells has been director of Inpatient Neurology and the Neuroscience Medical Unit since 2015 and was elected president of the medical staff in July 2020.

During her time at Children’s National, Dr. Wells has become known for her communication skills, team building and tireless commitment to excellence. She will expand the Neuroscience Center’s work on quality and safety, medical informatics, diversity and inclusion and patient experience.  “I am especially excited to promote growth and visibility for developing and expanding Neuroscience programs. Doing so will enable us to serve more kids and spread knowledge and expertise for children affected by brain disorders and injuries. I also look forward to fostering our culture of teamwork” said Dr. Wells. “There is a sense of urgency in the Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine Center to rapidly translate discoveries into answers for children and families, better treatments and tools to support strong and healthy lives.”

US News badges

For fifth year in a row, Children’s National Hospital nationally ranked a top 10 children’s hospital

US News badges

Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked in the top 10 nationally in the U.S. News & World Report 2021-22 Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings. This marks the fifth straight year Children’s National has made the Honor Roll list, which ranks the top 10 children’s hospitals nationwide. In addition, its neonatology program, which provides newborn intensive care, ranked No.1 among all children’s hospitals for the fifth year in a row.

For the eleventh straight year, Children’s National also ranked in all 10 specialty services, with seven specialties ranked in the top 10.

“It is always spectacular to be named one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals, but this year more than ever,” says Kurt Newman, M.D., president and CEO of Children’s National. “Every member of our organization helped us achieve this level of excellence, and they did it while sacrificing so much in order to help our country respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“When choosing a hospital for a sick child, many parents want specialized expertise, convenience and caring medical professionals,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings have always highlighted hospitals that excel in specialized care. As the pandemic continues to affect travel, finding high-quality care close to home has never been more important.”

The annual rankings are the most comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals. The rankings recognize the nation’s top 50 pediatric hospitals based on a scoring system developed by U.S. News. The top 10 scorers are awarded a distinction called the Honor Roll.

The bulk of the score for each specialty service is based on quality and outcomes data. The process includes a survey of relevant specialists across the country, who are asked to list hospitals they believe provide the best care for patients with the most complex conditions.

Below are links to the seven Children’s National specialty services that U.S. News ranked in the top 10 nationally:

The other three specialties ranked among the top 50 were cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology and gastro-intestinal surgery, and urology.

Roger Packer

All about neurology: Upcoming conferences led by Roger Packer, M.D.

Roger Packer

Roger Packer, M.D., senior vice president of the Center for Neurosciences and Behavioral Medicine at Children’s National Hospital, will speak at a series of symposiums in the next couple of months.

Most recently, he presented on pediatric brain tumor trials at a webinar hosted by the American Brain Tumor Association titled “Clinical Trials – Paving the Way Forward.” In case you missed it, you can watch it here.

For details on more upcoming presentations, see below:

On Friday, May 14, Dr. Packer will speak at the Cure Search for Children’s Cancer’s ‘Blurred Lines: Therapeutic vs. Research-only Biopsies,’ a session highlighting technologies, including liquid biopsies and single-cell sequencing, that have the potential to allow researchers to collect more data while decreasing the amount of tissue needed from solid tumor biopsies.

On Friday, May 28, he will give a virtual keynote address at the Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology during their “Pediatric oncology, hematology and immunology in 21st century: From research to clinical practice” online presentation. Dr. Packer will co-chair the session on central nervous system tumors and present on “CNS tumors: Major advances in neuro-oncology in last 10 years.”

And at the 50th Golden Anniversary Meeting of the Child Neurology Society, taking place September 29 to October 2, Dr. Packer will lead a symposium on new therapies for childhood medulloblastoma — the most common malignant brain tumor in children. Here, he will receive a recognition during the society’s annual gala honoring the “Founders of Child Neurology,” for his contribution in a new book in which Dr. Packer has a chapter outlining the history of child neurologists in the field of pediatric neuro-oncology.

PAS Logo

Children’s National participants share their expertise at PAS meeting

PAS Logo

The 2021 Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Virtual meeting hosted live-streamed events, on-demand sessions with live Q+A, a virtual exhibit hall, poster presentations and networking events that attracted pediatricians and healthcare providers worldwide. Among the physician-scientists, there were over 20 Children’s National Hospital-affiliated participants at this year’s meeting, adding to the conversation of pediatric research in specialty and sub-specialty areas.

Children’s National experts covered a range of topics, including heart disease, neurology, abnormal glycemia in newborns and antibiotic use in hospitalized children.

The “Neurological Implications of Abnormal Glycemia in Neonatal Encephalopathy and Prematurity” was a hot topic symposium presented by a panel of experts, including Sudeepta Basu, M.B.B.S., M.S., neonatologist at Children’s National.

The experts addressed the importance of recognizing early blood glucose disturbances in newborns with encephalopathy following birth asphyxia and its likely impact on brain injury and long-term outcomes. Although whole body cooling for newborns with encephalopathy after birth asphyxia is now standard of care in most advanced centers like Children’s National, many newborns still die or have neurological impairments. Dr. Basu emphasized on the need of continued advances in newer therapies and optimizing intensive care support for these vulnerable newborns immediately after birth. Dr. Basu’s presentation focused on the association of not only low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) but also high blood glucose (hyperglycemia) with abnormal motor, visual and intellectual outcomes in surviving newborns.

“Recognizing the problem is the first step for further advancement,” Dr. Basu said. “The scientific community needs to recognize the importance of early glucose status as an early marker for disease severity and risk of brain injury.” To sum up, Dr. Basu drew attention to recent newborn resuscitation guidelines from the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR), which recommends close monitoring of blood glucose levels and optimizing supportive care to maintain it within normal range. Dedicated clinical trials are the need of the hour to guide what are “normal” glucose levels in newborns with encephalopathy and what treatment options are most beneficial.

Rana F. Hamdy, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.C.E., director of the Children’s National Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, delved into the increased number of children receiving care for acute conditions – like acute respiratory tract infections – from urgent care centers and direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine companies during her session “Implementing Antibiotic Stewardship in Telemedicine and Urgent Care Settings.”

Telemedicine, in this case, refers to DTC telemedicine companies—not to be confused with the telemedicine established with primary care providers, like the services provided by Children’s National.

There has been little research focused on promoting good antibiotic stewardship in urgent care settings that tend to overprescribe antibiotics compared to a primary care setting. In addition to her work focusing on improving antimicrobial use within Children’s National, Dr. Hamdy has led collaborative quality improvement work nationally in both the pediatric urgent care and DTC telemedicine settings.

“What we’ve learned from our work with the DTC telemedicine setting is that leadership commitment coming from the company is a necessary core element,” Dr. Hamdy said. “There may be unique opportunities in the telemedicine setting to employ the home-grown computer systems for antimicrobial stewardship interventions, for example, incorporating clinical decision support or feedback reports into the electronic health record systems or displaying a commitment letter in the virtual waiting room.”

In the urgent care setting, Dr. Hamdy’s team recruited approximately 150 pediatric urgent care providers to participate in the national quality improvement initiative. Communication training modules for pediatric urgent care providers with scripted language for target infectious conditions — acute otitis media, pharyngitis and otitis media with effusion — were among the successful intervention approaches that led to improved appropriate antibiotic prescribing practices, according to her team’s findings.

“Understanding the prescribing practices in the urgent care setting is important to knowing where and how to focus on target conditions and to be able to support with education and resources,” Dr. Hamdy said. “And understanding the perceived barriers to judicious antibiotic prescribing can help to identify the highest yield interventions.”

This also reflects the approach taken by the outpatient antibiotic stewardship team at the Children’s National Goldberg Center, led by Ariella Slovin, M.D., primary care pediatrics provider at Children’s National Hospital. Dr. Slovin’s oral abstract entitled “Antibiotic Prescribing Via Telemedicine in the Time of COVID-19,” examined the effect that a shift to telemedicine due to the COVID-19 pandemic had on antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infections. Overall, her team found a decrease in the proportion of acute respiratory tract infections prescribed antibiotics and concluded that the shift to telemedicine did not adversely affect judicious antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections.

Other participants from Children’s National included: Taeun Chang, M.D.; Yuan-Chiao Lu, Ph.D.; Chidiogo Anyigbo, M.D., M.P.H.; Panagiotis Kratimenos, M.D.; Sudeepta Basu, M.B.B.S., M.S.; Ashraf Harahsheh, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.A.P.; Rana F. Hamdy, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.C.E.; John Idso, M.D.; Michael Shoykhet, M.D., Ph.D.; Monika Goyal, M.D.; Ioannis Koutroulis, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.; Josepheen De Asis-Cruz, M.D., Ph.D.; Asad Bandealy, M.D., M.P.H.; Priti Bhansali, M.D.; Sabah Iqbal, M.D.; Kavita Parikh, M.D.; Shilpa Patel, M.D.; Cara Lichtenstein, M.D.

To view the PAS phase I mini session list and the various areas of expertise at Children’s National, visit: https://innovationdistrict.childrensnational.org/childrens-national-hospital-at-the-2021-pediatric-academic-societies-meeting/

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRI) of vessel in the brain

A new framework helps guide safe pediatric diagnostic cerebral angiography

Magnetic resonance angiography (MRI) of vessel in the brain

Although many practitioners perform cerebral angiograms in children, these practitioners have varying levels of prior neuroangiography training and experience.

The Society of Neurointerventional Surgery (SNIS) Pediatric Committee published practice guidelines for pediatric diagnostic cerebral angiography (DCA) in a recent report. Monica Pearl, M.D., director of Neurointerventional Radiology Program at Children’s National Hospital, and other experts developed a framework within the report to ensure that DCA is performed safely in children. The findings detailed specific procedural considerations as well as peri-procedural evaluation and care.

“Diagnostic cerebral angiography has a low complication rate and maintaining this safety profile in children is an expectation for all practitioners performing this procedure,” Dr. Pearl said. “This is predicated on supplementing prior training and experience with a sustained, consistent volume of pediatric cases while paying special attention to the important nuances described in the findings.”

Although many practitioners perform cerebral angiograms in children, these practitioners have varying levels of prior neuroangiography training and experience. Dr. Pearl and experts suggest that a consistent volume of pediatric cases, modifications in device sizes, medication dosing, radiation protocols and technique are necessary to maintain the expected favorable safety profile. The recommendations also include referral to a higher-volume pediatric center or practitioner for those operators who infrequently perform cerebral angiography in children.

“Patient families and referring providers should seek practitioners with ample pediatric neuroangiography experience,” Dr. Pearl advised. “We provide this level of care and experience here at Children’s National.”

As the senior author for this paper, Dr. Pearl led this effort and shaped the task force recommendations providing critical input based on her current and prior pediatric neuroangiography experience. She and her team continue to serve as the leading advocates for the safety of cerebral neuroangiography procedures in children.

Purkinje cell

Premature birth disrupts Purkinje cell function, resulting in locomotor learning deficits

Purkinje cell

Children’s National Hospital researchers explored how preterm birth disrupts Purkinje cell function, resulting in locomotor learning deficits.

As the care of preterm babies continues to improve, neonatologists face new challenges to ensure babies are protected from injury during critical development of the cerebellum during birth and immediately after birth. How does this early injury affect locomotor function, and to what extent are clinicians able to protect the brain of preterm babies?

A new peer-reviewed study by Aaron Sathyanesan, Ph.D., Panagiotis Kratimenos, M.D., Ph.D., and Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D., published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), explores exactly what neural circuitry of the cerebellum is affected due to complications that occur around the time of birth causing these learning deficits, and finds a specific type of neurons — Purkinje cells — to play a central role.

Up until now, there has been a sparsity of techniques available to measure neuronal activity during locomotor learning tasks that engage the cerebellum. To surmount this challenge, Children’s National used a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together a team of neuroscientists with neonatologists who leveraged their joint expertise to devise a novel and unique way to measure real-time Purkinje cell activity in a pre-clinical model with clinical relevance to humans.

Researchers measured neural circuit function by pairing GCaMP6f fiber photometry, used to measure neuronal activity in the brain of a free moving subject, with an ErasmusLadder, in which it needs to travel from point A to point B on a horizontal ladder with touch-sensitive rungs that register the type and length of steps. By introducing a sudden obstacle to movement, researchers observed how the subject coped and learned accordingly to avoid this obstacle. By playing a high-pitch tone just before the obstacle was introduced, researchers were able to measure how quickly the subjects were able to anticipate the obstacle and adjust their steps accordingly. Subjects with neonatal brain injury and normal models were run through a series of learning trials while simultaneously monitoring brain activity. In this way, the team was able to quantify cerebellum-dependent locomotor learning and adaptive behavior, unlocking a functional and mechanistic understanding of behavioral pathology that was previously unseen in this field.

In addition to showing that normal Purkinje cells are highly active during movement on the ErasmusLadder, the team explored the question of whether Purkinje cells of injured pre-clinical models were generally non-responsive to any kind of stimuli. They found that while Purkinje cells in injured subjects responded to puffs of air, which generally cue the subject to start moving on the ErasmusLadder, dysfunction in these cells was specific to the period of adaptive learning. Lastly, through chemogenetic inhibition, which specifically silences neonatal Purkinje cell activity, the team was able to mimic the effects of perinatal cerebellar injury, further solidifying the role of these cells in learning deficits.

The study results have implications for clinical practice. As the care of premature babies continues to improve, neonatologists face new challenges to ensure that babies not only survive but thrive. They need to find ways to prevent against the lifelong impacts that preterm birth would otherwise have on the cerebellum and developing brain.

Read the full press release here.

Read the full journal article here.

Injury triggered change in ER calcium of a muscle cell

ER maintains ion balance needed for muscle repair

Injury triggered change in ER calcium of a muscle cell

A new study led by Jyoti Jaiswal, M.Sc., Ph.D., principal investigator at Children’s National Hospital, identifies that an essential requirement for the repair of injured cells is to cope with the extracellular calcium influx caused by injury to the cell’s membrane. Credit: Goutam Chandra, Ph.D.

Physical activity can injure our muscle cells, so their ability to efficiently repair is crucial for maintaining muscle health. Understanding how healthy muscle cells respond to injury is required to understand and treat diseases caused by poor muscle cell repair.

A new study led by Jyoti Jaiswal, M.Sc., Ph.D., principal investigator at Children’s National Hospital, identifies that an essential requirement for the repair of injured cells is to cope with the extracellular calcium influx caused by injury to the cell’s membrane.

This study, published in the Journal of Cell Biology, identifies endoplasmic reticulum (ER) – a network of membranous tubules in the cell – as the site where the calcium entering the injured cell is sequestered. Using limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2L (LGMD2L) patient cells and a model for this genetic disease, the study shows impaired ability of diseased muscle cells to cope with this calcium excess. It also shows that a drug to sequester excess calcium counters this ion imbalance and reverses the diseased cell’s repair deficit.

“The study provides a novel insight into how injured cells in our body cope with calcium ion imbalance during injury,” Dr. Jaiswal explained. “This work also addresses how calcium homeostasis is compromised by a genetic defect that leads to LGMD2L. It also offers a proof of principle approach to restore calcium homeostasis, paving the path for future work to develop therapies targeting this disease.”

According to Dr. Jaiswal, this work also addresses the current lack of understanding of the basis for exercise intolerance and other symptoms faced by LGMD2L patients.

“This study opens the path for developing targeted therapies for LGMD2L and provides a fundamental cellular insight into a process crucial for cell survival,” said Goutam Chandra, Ph.D., research fellow and lead author of this study.

The Center for Genetic Medicine Research at Children’s National is among only a handful across the world to study this rare disease. These findings are unprecedented in providing the mechanistic insights needed to develop treatment for it.

In addition to Dr. Jaiswal and Chandra, the study co-authors include Sreetama Sen Chandra, Ph.D., Davi Mazala, Ph.D., and Jack VanderMeulen, Ph.D., from Children’s National, and Karine Charton, Ph.D., and Isabelle Richard, Ph.D., from Université Paris-Saclay.

doctor showing girl with concussion three fingers

Post-traumatic headache phenotype and recovery time after concussion

doctor showing girl with concussion three fingers

In a recent study published by JAMA Network Open, Gerard Gioia, Ph.D., division chief of Neuropsychology and director of Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery and Education (SCORE) Program at Children’s National Hospital, along with other leading researchers, described the characteristics of youth with post-traumatic headache (PTH) and determine whether the PTH phenotype is associated with outcome.

Concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) are common among children and adolescents and constitute a major public health challenge. While symptoms from a concussion typically resolve days to weeks after injury, 10% to 30% of patients have symptoms that last longer than four weeks, and a smaller proportion have symptoms that persist for much longer.

PTH is defined as significantly worsened head pain attributed to a blow or force to the head. Although adolescents have a higher risk for sustaining concussions and developing persistent symptoms than younger children or adults, there is little data regarding PTH recovery and treatment in youth.

Dr. Gioia founded the multicenter Four Corners Youth Consortium to fill the gap in our understanding of youth concussion and recovery. This study is the first analysis of PTH phenotype and prognosis in this cohort of concussed youth.

The researchers analyzed headache-related symptoms from a validated questionnaire developed by Dr. Gioia and his Children’s National concussion research team. The primary outcomes were time to recovery and concussion-attributable headache three months after injury while the secondary outcome was headache six months after injury. Recovery was defined as resolution of symptoms related to a concussion.

Future large studies validating the classification of posttraumatic headache phenotypes in youth and studying outcomes are essential. PTH phenotyping will improve prognostication of concussion recovery and will enhance the treatment for PTH with more appropriate and targeted therapies to treat and prevent persistent and disabling headaches in youth with a concussion.

Roger Packer at lectern

Roger Packer, M.D., presents keynote address at First International Pakistan Neuro-Oncology Symposium

Roger Packer at lectern

During his presentation, he addressed attendees on the topic of the “Modern Management of Medulloblastoma,” discussing results of recently completed clinical trials and the implications of new molecular insights into medulloblastoma, the most common childhood malignant brain tumor.

In late November 2020,  Roger Packer, M.D., senior vice president of the Center for Neurosciences and Behavioral Medicine at Children’s National Hospital, presented as the inaugural keynote speaker for the First International Pakistan Neuro-Oncology Symposium in Karachi, Pakistan.

During his virtual presentation, he addressed attendees on the topic of the “Modern Management of Medulloblastoma,” discussing results of recently completed clinical trials and the implications of new molecular insights into medulloblastoma, the most common childhood malignant brain tumor.

The symposium attracted participants from 57 countries across the globe. There were over 1,000 attendees and as a result of the success of this symposium, there is now a monthly pediatric neuro-oncology lecture series. Dr. Packer agreed to lecture again to the group in mid-January 2021 on “Pediatric Neural Tumors Associated with NF1” as part of an international lecture series hosted by the Aga Khan University in Pakistan.

This is one of multiple national and international activities led by the Brain Tumor Institute at Children’s National Hospital. Directed by Dr. Packer with Eugene Hwang, M.D. as his co-director, and who is associate division chief of oncology at Children’s National Hospital, the multidisciplinary institute holds a monthly tumor board for colleagues at Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center and the Burdenko Neurosurgery Institute in Moscow, Russia, and a monthly brain tumor board coordinated by the Pediatric Oncology Program for colleagues across São Paulo, Brazil.

This also leads to a bi-monthly regional tumor board, which is attended by staff of the National Cancer Institute, the University of Virginia, Inova Children’s Hospital, the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters Health System, Yale University, Geisinger Medical Center, Georgetown University and Carilion Clinic.

Research & Innovation Campus

Virginia Tech, Children’s National Hospital award $100,000 to fund collaborative cancer research pilot projects

Research & Innovation Campus

This pilot research program represents a growing academic research partnership between Children’s National and Virginia Tech. Last year, the two institutions announced that Virginia Tech will establish a biomedical research facility on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus.

Children’s National Hospital and Virginia Tech have awarded two $50,000 one-year pilot grants to multi-institutional teams of scientists for pediatric brain cancer research.

The inter-institutional program, which launched in December, promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations among researchers at both institutions. At Virginia Tech, the program is part of the Virginia Tech Cancer Research Alliance. Financial support for the program was provided by the Offices of the Physician-in-Chief and Chief Academic Officer at Children’s National, and by Virginia Tech’s Office of the Vice President for Health Sciences and Technology.

“We were delighted to see so many innovative and competitive research proposals for our first round of pilot grants in the area of brain cancer. By forging new research collaborations with our partners at Children’s National, we hope to make major strides in addressing one of the most common and devastating groups of cancers in children,” said Michael Friedlander, Virginia Tech’s vice president for health sciences and technology, and the executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. “The pilot funding will bootstrap several programs to be able to acquire ongoing sustainable funding by providing the opportunity to test novel high impact ideas for new strategies for treating these disorders. There are simply too few good options for children in this space now and this partnership can change that for the better.”

The collaborative research initiative began through an agreement between the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Children’s National Research Institute. The collaborative teams formed through a series of interactive discussions among Virginia Tech’s Cancer Research Alliance faculty members from the university’s Blacksburg and Roanoke campuses, and Children’s National’s neuro-oncology researchers.

“I am extremely excited by this collaboration between VT and CNH that is focused on pediatric brain tumors which is such an area of unmet need,” said Catherine Bollard, M.D., M.B.Ch.B.,, director of Children’s National’s Center for Cancer and Immunology Research. “I am confident that the funded proposals will soon advance our understanding of pediatric brain tumors and, more importantly, facilitate more joint efforts between two world-class institutions which is especially timely with the development of the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus.”

Yanxin Pei, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Center for Cancer Immunology Research at Children’s National, and Liwu Li, Ph.D., a professor of biological sciences in Virginia Tech’s College of Science, were awarded one of the pilot research grants to study how white blood cells called neutrophils are involved in metastatic MYC-driven medulloblastoma, an aggressive type of brain tumor in children that often resists conventional radiation and chemotherapies.

Yuan Zhu, Ph.D., the Gilbert Family Professor of Neurofibromatosis Research at Children’s National, and Susan Campbell, Ph.D., an assistant professor of animal and poultry sciences in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, were awarded funds to study glioma-induced seizures in mice with a genetic mutation that inhibits the production of P53, a key protein involved in suppressing cancer cell growth and division.

The successful applicants will receive funding starting this month and are expected to deliver preliminary data to support an extramural research application by 2024.

This pilot research program represents a growing academic research partnership between Children’s National and Virginia Tech. Last year, the two institutions announced that Virginia Tech will establish a biomedical research facility on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus. It will be the first research and innovation campus in the nation focused on pediatrics when it opens later this year and will house newly recruited teams of pediatric brain cancer researchers.

Liwu Li, Yanxin Pei, Susan Campbell, and Yuan Zhu

Liwu Li, Ph.D., Yanxin Pei, Ph.D., Susan Campbell, Ph.D., and Yuan Zhu, Ph.D., were awarded funding through the new pilot research program.

Roger Packer with patient

A lifetime of achievements: Roger Packer, M.D.

Roger Packer with patient

Over the years, Dr. Packer and his team in Washington, D.C., have made meaningful contributions to children all around the world diagnosed with childhood brain tumors, including medulloblastoma and gliomas.

Earlier in December, Roger Packer, M.D., senior vice president of the Center for Neurosciences and Behavioral Medicine at Children’s National Hospital, received the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at the meeting organized in Karuizawa, Japan. The prestigious recognition is a testament to the years of commitment and dedication Dr. Packer has devoted to the care of children with brain tumors and as such, have placed him as a top leader.

This award is a recognition of how the field has grown since the first International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Dr. Packer organized in Seattle in 1989. “It grew from a small gathering of investigators to now a multidisciplinary group of over 2,000 investigators,” Dr. Packer says.

Over the years, Dr. Packer and his team in Washington, D.C., have made meaningful contributions to children all around the world diagnosed with childhood brain tumors, including medulloblastoma and gliomas. These findings have contributed to an increase of the survival rate from 50% to over 80% for children with medulloblastoma. In addition, his contributions have led to newer molecular targeted therapies and improved the quality of life of children who are long-term survivors.

“The field, especially in the last decade, rapidly transitioned to a more biologically informed field,” Dr. Packer explains. “We are now utilizing new, exciting discoveries in biology and genetics to inform new approaches to treatment. This kind of transition gives us great hope for the future.”

In his early career, Dr. Packer worked with two neuro-oncology patients who died and would impact his decision to further study this field. At that time, there was minimal understanding of the nature of neuro-oncology diseases or how to best treat them. As a neurologist, he was frustrated by the lack of understanding and as a pediatrician, he was frustrated at the lack of ability to do success management.

“I saw this as a gap in my personal knowledge and found that the field was struggling to come up with new answers and new approaches,” he says. “But at the same time other, advances were being made in child cancer care, such as with leukemia. However, there was no wide focus on pediatric brain tumors.”

Combining his knowledge of neurology with his curiosity and relying on other leaders that surrounded him in the same field, Dr. Packer worked on driving this new work forward. Today, he is still heavily involved in the development of treatment protocols that are increasingly transitional for a variety of brain tumors, including low-grade and high-grade gliomas.

“With the help of our great colleagues at Children’s National, we continue to try to develop new means to treat these tumors, including immunological approaches and the incorporation in the use of novel means, such as low-intensity and high-intensity focused ultrasound,” he says. “We also have an excellent multidisciplinary team at Children’s National that has grown over the last decade some of whom are acknowledged national leaders in the fields of brain tumors, clinical research and clinical care. We also have a robust program focusing on the neurocognitive outcome of children and ways to intervene to ameliorate intellectual compromise and improve quality of life.”

Maddox and family

Family love and the right care for neurofibromatosis type 1 give Maddox a fresh start

Maddox and family

Maddox and his family in early 2020.

13-year-old Maddox Gibson is learning to cook. He says he wants to be a chef and wants to make meals for people who need it most — the homeless and the hungry.

It makes sense that he’s eager to help people who need it. As a young child growing up in a group home in his native country of China, he knows firsthand how important that support can be. In 2017 at age 10, he found his own endless supply of love and support when he met and was adopted by the Gibson family.

Zhen Chao, now called Maddox, was born in China with a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis type 1 that can cause painful or disfiguring tumors called plexiform neurofibromas. Zhen Chao had two on his head when he arrived — on his scalp and on his left optic nerve — which had been largely untreated for most of his life in China. On top of that, his right leg had been fractured and not fixed properly years before, causing him pain and weakness that left him wheelchair bound.

Adoptive mom Lindsey, a registered nurse, knew he would need special care to meet all the unique challenges he faced, and she’d done her homework — he needed the expertise of Miriam Bornhorst, M.D.,  and the Gilbert Family Neurofibromatosis Institute at Children’s National Hospital to help him thrive in his new life in the U.S. Since shortly after he came to the U.S., Lindsey has been driving Maddox the 6-plus hours from their home in North Carolina to Washington, D.C., regularly, to get care for all of his health challenges.

Maddox’s optic neurofibroma was too large when he arrived at Children’s National for a simple surgical removal. Due to her role as the lead investigator on a cutting edge clinical trial for the orphan drug selumetinib — a so-called MEK inhibitor that has shown early promise at reducing the cell growth of tumors like plexiform neurofibromas, Dr. Bornhorst enrolled Maddox in a compassionate use program for the drug, an opportunity that is not widely available. The drug was initially developed for something completely different — treatment of melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer in adults–but has been adapted through its FDA orphan drug designation for pediatric clinical trials in NF1. In the time since Maddox started taking it, it was approved for use in NF1 patients by the FDA.

The trial drug did its job — in late 2019, Maddox’s tumor had shrunk enough that chief neurosurgeon Robert Keating, M.D., and plastic surgeon Michael Boyajian, M.D., were able to successfully remove it. Follow-up procedures led by that team have also worked to repair the tissue that was impacted by the optic neurofibroma.

In addition to treatment of his neurofibromas, Maddox and his mom are able to see every service they need during one stay in D.C. The Neurofibromatosis Institute works closely across specialties, so his corrective surgery for his leg from Children’s chief of orthopaedics, Matthew Oetgen, M.D., MBA, in September 2019. He was assessed and prescribed physical therapy early in the process and even before surgery, so now he’s stronger than ever and walking. Learning difficulties, including autism and ADHD are common in NF1 patients, and so the NF Institute’s neuropsychology team has evaluated him and worked with the family to find resources and strategies near home that will support him. It should be noted, those learning difficulties only became apparent after Maddox taught himself English from scratch in only two years’ time with the help of his school’s ESOL program.

This kind of full spectrum care, from clinical assessment to surgical treatment and psychological supports, is crucial to the lives of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 and is only available at a pediatric specialty care institution like Children’s National. The hospital has gathered some of the preeminent researchers, surgeons, and physicians within the NF Institute to make sure that the care families will travel hundreds of miles to receive is the best possible, using the latest evidence-based treatments for every challenge they face.

Though his care and follow-ups will continue at Children’s National Hospital and his condition may pose  new challenges in the future, for now, Maddox is able to focus on exploring new things and doing what he loves — playing outdoors with his family, learning to cook and building with Legos.

graphic abstract for brain tumor paper

First large-scale proteogenomic analysis offers insights into pediatric brain tumor biology

graphic abstract for brain tumor paper

In the first large-scale, multicenter study of its kind, researchers conducted comprehensive analysis yielding a more complete understanding of pediatric brain tumors (PBT), which are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. Researchers from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) and Children’s Brian Tumor Network (CBTN) generated and analyzed proteomic data, which identifies common biological characteristics among different tumor types. The consortia consist of collaborators from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, National Cancer Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Children’s National Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The study, published in Cell on November 25, 2020, provides a clearer understanding of the molecular basis of pediatric brain tumors and proposes new therapeutic avenues.

The molecular characterization of brain tumors has largely hinged upon the presence of unique alterations in the tumor genome ignoring the many layers of regulation that exist between DNA and the functional biology of the tumor cell that is actuated by proteins. The integration of proteomic data identifies common biological themes that span histologic boundaries, suggesting that treatments used for one histologic type may be applied effectively to other tumors sharing similar proteomic features.

Brian Rood, M.D., medical director of the Brain Tumor Institute and associate professor of pediatrics in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s National Hospital, participated in this study and explains the importance of what the team discovered.

Q: Why was it important that researchers came together to do this work?

A: Comprehensive characterization of the fundamental biology of pediatric brain tumors, including the proteogenomic analysis done in this study, is essential to better understand and treat pediatric brain tumors.

Our study is based on the recognition that proteomics and phosphoproteomics needs to be integrated with other omics data to gain an improved systems biology view of the molecular features of brain tumors. In addition, characterizing biological themes that cross histologic boundaries and cells of origin can suggest extending treatments shown to be effective in one type of tumor to other histologically disparate tumors sharing the same proteomic features.

Proteomic data further reveal the functional impacts of somatic mutations and copy number variations (CNVs) not evident in transcriptomic data alone. Further, kinase-substrate network analyses identify activated biological mechanisms of tumor biology.

This work was only possible because of a unique collaboration between the CPTAC program of the NCI and the CBTN, of which Children’s National is a member.

Q: How will this work advance understanding and treatment of pediatric brain tumors?

A: Pediatric brain tumors have not benefitted from molecularly targeted drugs as much as other tumor types largely because they harbor relatively few gene mutations. Therefore, identifying key pathways to target in these patients’ tumors has been a challenge. The integration of proteomic and phosphoproteomic data with genomic data allows for the construction of a more comprehensive model of brain tumor biology and nominates specific key pathways to be targeted.

Q: What did you find that excites you?

A: Proteomic data revealed a number of findings that were not present in the genomic data. We found evidence to support a molecularly targeted approach to treating craniopharyngioma, a tumor that has previously been unresponsive to chemotherapy. We also found a prognostic marker for high grade gliomas that do not have a mutation in the H3 histone. We were able to identify specific kinases that may dictate the aggressive nature of certain ependymoma tumors. Importantly, we demonstrated the potential of proteomic studies to uncover unique tumor biology, paving the way for more extensive investigations using this approach.

You can find the full study published in Cell. Learn more about the Brain Tumor Institute at Children’s National.


Dr. Rood recently joined a live panel discussion with researchers from the Children’s Brain Tumor Network and the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium to explore the impact of their landmark study.

EEG with electrical activity of abnormal brain

Speckle tracking echo reveals possible biomarker for SUDEP risk

EEG with electrical activity of abnormal brain

A study published in the journal Epilepsia used speckle tracking echocardiography to detect subtle changes in heart function found in pediatric patients with refractory epilepsy when compared to controls. Children with refractory epilepsy had impaired systolic ventricular strain compared to controls, not correlated to epilepsy history. These differences in ventricular function may be a biomarker that can indicate someone with epilepsy is at higher risk for Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

Speckle tracking echocardiography is a non-invasive technique where software automatically identifies and tracks individual “speckles” of the myocardial wall on a routine echocardiogram in order to directly quantify the extent of contraction.

The study’s first authors, John Schreiber, M.D., medical director of Electroencephalography (EEG) and director of the Epilepsy Genetics program, and Lowell Frank, M.D., advanced imaging cardiologist and director of the Cardiology Fellowship Training program, both at Children’s National Hospital, answered some questions about the study findings.

Why is this important work?

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a rare but devastating consequence of epilepsy. Some of the proposed mechanisms of SUDEP implicate brain stem, cardiac and respiratory pathways.

This study identified alterations in ventricular function that may serve as one potential biomarker for SUDEP risk that can be evaluated non-invasively and regularly.

How will this work benefit patients?

Identification of children or adults with markedly impaired ventricular strain or diastolic function may provide the opportunity to implement a targeted treatment or monitoring strategy to prevent SUDEP.

What did you find that excites you? What are you hoping to discover?

These differences in cardiac strain were true for all patients with refractory epilepsy as a whole, not one particular group. This suggests that refractory convulsive epilepsy itself, rather than other patient-specific factors, produces these changes. Thanks in part to a grant from the Dravet Syndrome Foundation, the team is currently examining a cohort of patients with epilepsy due to pathogenic variants in sodium channel genes, SCN1A and SCN8A, to determine if these patients have greater degrees of impaired cardiac strain. SCN1A and SCN8A are also expressed in the heart, and patients have a considerably higher risk of SUDEP. It will be particularly exciting to examine for differences in specific genetic epilepsies.

How is this work unique?

Strain has been evaluated in many disease states in adult and pediatric populations and may be more sensitive to early myocardial damage than traditional measures of systolic and diastolic function. Children’s National Hospital has been an innovator in using speckle tracking echocardiography and similar techniques to evaluate subtle changes in heart function. This study is a great example of collaboration between The Comprehensive Pediatric Epilepsy Program and the Children’s National Heart Institute that is driving innovative research at Children’s National Hospital.

MRI of the patient's head close-up

Madison Berl, Ph.D., receives 2020 PERF award for Infrastructure/Registry Research

MRI of the patient's head close-up

The Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation Grant (PERF) has awarded Madison Berl, Ph.D., neuropsychologist at Children’s National Hospital, the 2020 PERF award for Infrastructure/Registry Research. The funds will support her work on researching neuropsychological outcomes of children being considered for pediatric epilepsy surgery.

This grant, which provides $200,000 of research funding, will allow Dr. Berl to systematically collect data outcomes and create robust prediction models that are critical to achieving precision medicine that allows for selecting the most effective surgical treatment for an individual child.

“While seizures are a critical outcome, there is increasing recognition that outcomes beyond seizure control is critical to children and their families when evaluating and treating the impact of epilepsy and its treatments,” said Dr. Berl.

Guidelines and consensus statements related to pediatric epilepsy surgery are uniformly lacking high quality published outcome data to support clinical decisions that impact likelihood of seizure freedom and optimizing outcomes beyond seizures (e.g., neuropsychological functioning, quality of life, improved sleep). Despite recognition of the need for standardized collection of data on a multi-institutional basis, the efforts that exist are limited in scope.

Moreover, as new techniques – such as laser ablation and brain stimulation – are approved for pediatric patients, there is little information available to determine which children will benefit from which intervention.

“This project fundamentally is a multi-site registry for epilepsy surgery outcomes,” Dr. Berl added.

“However, this type of infrastructure also fosters growth and active collaboration within a network of pediatric epilepsy clinicians. I am excited because if successful, this will be the start of long-term collaborative effort.”

Illustration of brain hemispheres

Children use both brain hemispheres to understand language

Illustration of brain hemispheres

New research finds young children process language in both hemispheres of the brain, which could help compensation after a neural injury. This is unlike adults who process most language tasks in one side (usually the left) of their brain’s two hemispheres. It suggests a possible reason why children often seem to recover from brain injury more easily than adults.

New research finds young children process language in both hemispheres of the brain, which could help compensate after a neural injury. The study, published Sept. 8, 2020, in PNAS, says this is unlike adults who process most language tasks in one side (usually the left) of their brain’s two hemispheres. It suggests a possible reason why children often seem to recover from brain injury more easily than adults.

We talked with researcher William D. Gaillard, M.D., chief of the Divisions of Child Neurology, Epilepsy and Neurophysiology at Children’s National Hospital, to discuss the importance of this work.

Q: Tell us a little bit about this study.

A: This is a study we did with our colleagues at Georgetown University Medical Center, using fMRI to map brain regions that are used to process language across development. What we found was that younger children have more bilateral “activation” in language processing regions, the traditional left and homotopic regions in the right. With aging there is consolidation that becomes more left lateralized. This process is most clearly seen in the frontal brain regions, called Broca’s area, where the right activation diminishes over age

Q: Why are these findings important?

A: It’s important because this work provides evidence for how cognitive systems, and the neural networks that underlie them, become consolidated and lateralized over time during development. It provides insights into principles of the development of cognitive systems.

The timeline for lateralization of language systems means that the cognitive systems that sustain language are “plastic” – that is the right hemisphere can sustain language functions in the setting of injury to the left hemisphere until around 10 years of age.

Q: What excites you about this work?

A: This is part of a larger collaborative effort that is mapping out the consolidation of cognitive systems across development (language, visual spatial, memory and working memory). This work will help us to understand the limits of brain plasticity in the setting of injury caused by stroke or epilepsy, which could have benefits down the road to helping patients recover from these types of events.

Q: How is Children’s National leading the ongoing discovery in this space?

A: It is a true team effort. We are working with colleagues at Georgetown University Medical Center, MedStar National Rehabilitation Network and Johns Hopkins Medicine. Team members come from diverse backgrounds and scientific skills. We are one of the leading groups using advanced functional imaging to investigate brain development of critical cognitive systems and their response to brain injury.

You can find the full study published in PNAS. Learn more about the Children’s National Research Institute Center for Neuroscience Research.

 

Youssef Kousa

Dr. Youssef Kousa awarded Pediatric Epilepsy Research Grant

zika virus

The Child Neurology Foundation has awarded Youssef A. Kousa, M.S., D.O., Ph.D., the 2020 Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation Shields Research Grant. The funds will support his work on identifying genetic risk factors in congenital Zika syndrome.

The Child Neurology Foundation has awarded Youssef A. Kousa, M.S., D.O., Ph.D., physician-scientist within the Division of Neurology at Children’s National Hospital, and founder and director of the Zika Genetics Consortium, the 2020 Pediatric Epilepsy Research Foundation Shields Research Grant. The funds will support his work on identifying genetic risk factors in congenital Zika syndrome.

This prestigious grant provides $100,000 of research funding to help identify treatments and cures for pediatric neurologic diseases. It will allow Dr. Kousa to test the hypothesis that rare genetic variants in individuals contributed to being affected with congenital Zika syndrome and the severity of the phenotype for those who were affected.

“Despite decades of research, identifying those at greatest risk of congenital infection or being severely affected remains an elusive goal,” says Dr. Kousa. “This research is important because identifying genetic risk or protective factors for developmental brain malformations can help teach us how the brain develops.”

Youssef Kousa

In 2015, Dr. Kousa established the Zika Genetic Consortium to investigate whether maternal and fetal genetic factors can modify the risk of brain injury from congenital infections.

Dr. Kousa adds that this work will provide key insights into maternal and fetal genetic factors that can contribute to brain malformations. The hope is that these insights may one day translate into targeted prevention efforts.

“Dr. Kousa’s project is very creative and has a fantastic opportunity to look at factors of Zika on brain development,” says William D. Gaillard, M.D., division chief of both Epilepsy and Neurophysiology, and Neurology at Children’s National. “This is a very competitive award. It’s a tremendous achievement that few accomplish.”

Children’s National is the leading site for this international research study.

In 2015, Dr. Kousa established the Zika Genetic Consortium to investigate whether maternal and fetal genetic factors can modify the risk of brain injury from congenital infections. Dr. Kousa is the principal investigator of the consortium, which includes 19 co-investigators representing 13 different institutions.

The consortium is bringing together cohorts of 12,000 mother-infant participants retrospectively and prospectively. These cohorts come from 15 international health centers in seven countries in collaboration with partners at the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This support gives us the opportunity to test our hypothesis,” says Dr. Kousa. “We also hope what we continue to learn about Zika can play a role in helping us understand other congenital infections and neurodevelopment diseases.”

Neurology infographic

2020 at a glance: Neurology and Neurosurgery at Children’s National

 

The Children’s National Division of Neurology and Neurosurgery is consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top neurology programs in the nation and is currently #3 in the nation.