Philanthropy Is Driving Life-Changing Research

More than half the kids who come to Seattle Children’s live with serious chronic conditions they will have for the rest of their lives. Research can give them a different future. Read about the exceptional people who pour their hearts into pediatric research.

PedAL Initiative Makes Progress Against Pediatric High-Risk Leukemia

Seattle Children’s Dr. Todd Cooper leads the worldwide PedAL Initiative and the drive for better options for kids with blood cancers.

Unlocking the Immune System’s Role in a Post-Transplant Malady

Findings by Drs. Richard James and David Rawlings reveal B cell receptor signaling’s role in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Dr. Jonathan Lagos Orellana Receives Diversity in Lupus Research Award

The Lupus Research Alliance funding promotes underrepresented groups in science and research into new therapeutic targets for lupus.

Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care Research Recognized

The Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care was named the 2024 Cornerstone Award winner — the first pediatric institution to achieve this honor.

Healing Without Harm: Reducing Chemo Toxicities

Insight into how cancer medicines affect cells could lead Seattle Children’s Dr. Jay Sarthy to a safer form of common chemotherapies.

Detecting Unseen Suicide Risks Among Asian American Youth

Research led by Dr. Anthony L. Bui finds suicide risk disparities amongst Asian American youth and young adults.

Seattle Children’s and WSU Host Inaugural Joint Research Symposium

Collaboration between Seattle Children’s and WSU Health Sciences catalyzes new research opportunities.

A Fresh Breath For Respiratory Research

A center at Seattle Children’s Research Institute aims to pioneer treatments, advance technologies and refine surgical approaches for respiratory conditions.

Clinical Study Medicine Shrinks Olive’s Brain Tumor, Expands Hope

Patient Olive Ray's glioma improved with a Seattle Children's clinical study treatment that slowed down the cellular pathway driving the growth of her tumor.

Timing of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation Impacts HIV Reservoir

Seattle Children’s Dr. Lisa Frenkel and colleagues found the timing of HIV antiretroviral therapy affects the size of the virus reservoir and HIV site integration.

Genes Linked to Relapse in Most Common Childhood Leukemia Identified

Seattle Children’s Dr. Mignon Loh and colleagues identified genetic variations influencing relapse risk in children with standard risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, paving the way for more tailored treatments.

Connecting the Genetic Dots in Sudden Unexpected Infant Death

Research from Dr. Nino Ramirez and colleagues significantly expands the list of potential gene variants associated with infants’ vulnerability to sudden, unexpected death.

Turning a New Page on Autism Research

Dr. Damon Page at Seattle Children’s studies the genetic mutations behind autism and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Study Medication Proves Promising for Hypothalamic Obesity

Research from Dr. Christian Roth and colleagues testing the medication setmelanotide showed significant reductions in weight and hunger in patients with hypothalamic obesity.

Trametinib Offers Hope, Transplant Alternative for Relapse of Rare Leukemia

Dr. Mignon Loh, Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research, and colleagues found inhibitor trametinib showed promise for patients with relapsed/refractory juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia.

Employment Effects Prevalent in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Drs. Neel Bhatt and Eric Chow, Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research and Fred Hutch Cancer Center, and colleagues found longtime survivors face work challenges.

Brain Researchers Offer Insights into Brainstem Region’s Role in Low Oxygen Levels, Disrupted Swallow

A Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research team provides new understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying disordered swallow.

STRIDE Study Aims for Better Treatments for Children With IBD

Newly launched study seeks answers to how and why inflammatory bowel disease begins in children, targeting cure.

CIIT Researchers Highlight Achievements in Novel Therapies at Gene and Cell Therapy Meeting

Key findings from the CIIT will be shared at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy’s Annual Meeting, May 7-11 in Baltimore.

Advocacy for Equitable School Recess Introduces New State Law

Dr. Pooja Tandon and colleagues, on behalf of the King County Play Equity Coalition’s Advocacy Action Team, see new equitable recess law pass in Washington, which outline and require school recess best practices.

New Vaccine Candidate Holds Promise to Conquer Malaria

Using genetic engineering, Dr. Stefan Kappe and colleagues in the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research developed a novel vaccine with unprecedented potential to eliminate malaria.

Fishing for Answers in Drug-Induced Hearing Injury

A screening platform using zebrafish reveals an antibiotic combination protects against hearing injury caused by medications.

Diet High In Ultra-processed and Fast Food May Increase Chance of Harmful Exposures

Researchers uncover links between higher exposures to phthalates, a certain class of chemicals, and a diet heavy in ultra-processed and fast food during pregnancy, which could be detrimental for both the parent and child.

Discovering Patterns in the Neural Activity Powering Breathing

Scientists in the Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research produced a first-ever population-level analysis of neural activity underlying breathing.

New Criteria for Pediatric Sepsis Identified

Drs. Scott Watson and Jerry Zimmerman contribute to national pediatric guidelines to better identify and treat patients diagnosed with pediatric sepsis.

Selasi Dankwa Selected as Next Generation Faculty Symposium Speaker

One of 14 invited to speak at the prestigious event, Dankwa shared insights into why the blood-brain barrier fails in cerebral malaria.

Sedensky, Morgan Honored by American Society of Anesthesiologists

Drs. Marge Sedensky and Phil Morgan, Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research, recognized with national Excellence in Research award for their pioneering studies in how anesthetics work and making them safer for children with mitochondrial disease.

How the Brain Learns to Find Its Next Reward

Dr. Jonathan Tang, Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research, published insights into how our brains learn and adapt through trial and error, with implications for education and artificial intelligence.

A Path Toward Eliminating Relapsing Malaria

Malaria expert Alexis Kaushansky and an international team successfully identified malaria protein inhibitors, an approach for relapsing malaria prevention.

Rhea Coler Secures $13 Million for Tuberculosis Research

With private and public funding, Dr. Rhea Coler and team aim to translate their lab work into much-needed TB vaccines and therapies.

Seattle Children’s Researchers Represent Washington State in National Pediatric Emergency Care Research Network

Seattle Children’s Emergency Department Research group contributes emergency care research to national network.

Largest Study of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Survivors Reveals Bone Marrow Transplant Impacts

Cancer survivorship expert Dr. Eric Chow and colleagues authored a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study report in the journal Blood.

New RSV Vaccine Offering Protection for Infants Approved

Seattle Children’s researchers contribute key findings to study supporting CDC approval of new RSV vaccine offering protection for infants.

Gates Foundation Funds Parish’s Tuberculosis Research

Microbiologist Tanya Parish and team work to discover new therapies as part of the TB Drug Accelerator consortium.

Shannon Oda Awarded Washington State Cancer Research Grant

The immunology researcher and her team aim to improve adoptive cell therapy to eliminate cancer tumors.

New Cell-Based Therapy Drives Progress Toward Diabetes Treatment, Prevention

Using new gene-editing techniques, Dr. David Rawlings and his lab team have created a novel cell therapy to potentially transform the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Researchers Awarded Funding to Support Environmental Exposures Investigation in Washington

Researchers at the Center for Childhood Health, Behavior and Development awarded funding to support environmental exposures study in Washington.

Summer Scholars Program Provides Path to Science Careers

This summer, 49 college students assisted with 44 lab and clinical research projects involving 39 principal investigators.

Shaun Jackson Receives $3 Million Lupus Research Alliance Team Award

The pediatric rheumatologist and nephrologist will co-lead kidney imaging studies with a multidisciplinary team studying pediatric lupus nephritis.

Rare Disorder Research Yields Insights into Immune Dysregulation, Drug Approaches

Seattle Children’s researchers and colleagues have identified a new driver of autoimmunity that may be relevant to many diseases, including lupus.

Brainstem Region Revealed to Play Role in Regulating Swallow, Breathing

Seattle Children’s researchers revealed novel insights about PiCo, a brainstem region that aids the coordination of swallowing and breathing.

Airway Cells in Children With Allergic Asthma Protect Against COVID-19 Infection

Seattle Children’s researchers and colleagues discovered why kids with allergic asthma fare better against COVID-19.

Second Malaria Gene Linked to Drug Resistance

Seattle Children’s malaria researchers and colleagues found the putative amino acid transporter, pfaat1, contributes to chloroquine resistance.

Equity Initiatives Improve Healthcare-Associated Infections

May 30, 2023 – Rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections dropped after researchers identified disparities and initiated equity-focused measures.

Molly Taylor Awarded Funds to Study Stress Biomarkers

The oncologist and researcher received a five-year, $729,000 award from the American Cancer Society.

Finding an Allergy Brake

May 16, 2023 – Researchers in the Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies have discovered a new mechanism in human mast cells: They express an inhibitory receptor, Siglec-9, that can act as a brake on their activation.

Children’s Researchers Share Progress at ASGCT Annual Meeting

May 16, 2023 - Key findings from the Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies highlighted at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy’s Annual Meeting from May 16 to 20 in Los Angeles.

Tuberculosis Bacterium’s Cellular Signaling System Plays Key Role in its Biology

April 28, 2023 – Seattle Children’s TB researchers and colleagues uncovered complex microbial protein activity, potentially pointing to new drug targets.

James Bennett Receives $12.5 Million NIH Genome Research Grant Under SMaHT Network

May 11, 2023 – Congratulations to Dr. James Bennett for his $12.5 million, five-year National Institutes of Health award supporting research in how the human genome changes within individuals over their lifetimes.

Murdock Grant Enables New Cell Analyzer as Shared Resource

Apr. 24, 2023 - An M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust grant awarded to Drs. Rhea Coler and Shaun Jackson facilitates cell analyzer acquisition for the research institute’s Integrated Flow Cytometry Core.

Todd Cooper Appointed to Children’s Oncology Group Committee Chair

Apr. 5, 2023 - Seattle Children’s Dr. Todd Cooper will soon lead the Children’s Oncology Group Myeloid Committee.

Sarah Leary Awarded R50 to Develop Cancer Trials and Programs

Mar. 13, 2023 - The pediatric oncologist received a five-year, renewable Research Specialist Award (R50) — a new award mechanism for clinical researchers — to further her work on children’s cancer trials.

Tyler Ketterl Awarded DOD Grant to Study Germ Cell Cancers

Mar. 3, 2023 - Congratulations to Dr. Tyler Ketterl for his four-year, $1.3 million Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program Translational Team Science Award from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Copper Intrauterine Device Affects Vaginal Bacteria and Inflammation

Jan. 30, 2023 - Researchers in the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research and colleagues found copper IUDs affect vaginal health and inflammatory response.

COVID-19 Vaccine Found Safe, Effective for Youngest Children

Feb. 16, 2023 - Research conducted with the Center for Clinical and Translational Research finds new data confirming COVID-19 vaccine safe for routine immunization for youngest children.

The Puzzling Physiology of Tuberculosis

Feb. 9, 2023 - Dr. Christoph Grundner and Center for Global Infectious Disease Research colleagues discovered how nutrients cross the outer wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Heather Gustafson Receives $4 Million MERIT Award for Pediatric Cancer Research

Feb. 9, 2023 – Dr. Heather Gustafson’s NCI MERIT funding will support inflammatory status research in pediatric cancer patients.

Maternal Immunization Boosts Vaccine-Specific T Cells in Breastmilk

Jan. 13, 2023 - Researchers in the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research and colleagues gained new insights into the immunological properties of human breastmilk.

John Aitchison and Shuyi Ma Receive $1.3 Million Award for Host-Based Antivirals

January 2023 - The Center for Global Infectious Disease Research’s Drs. John Aitchison and Shuyi Ma, and colleagues, funded by the W. M. Keck Foundation, will explore a new approach to neutralizing viruses.

Out of Mosquitos and Into Petri Dishes: New Production Platform Accelerates Malaria Vaccine

Dec. 13, 2022 - Dr. Stefan Kappe and colleagues in the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research contributed to a new malaria vaccine manufacturing platform with biotech Sanaria.

Researchers Present Findings at American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

Dec. 6, 2022 - Seattle Children’s cancer and blood disorder research will be well represented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 64th annual meeting from Dec. 10 to 13 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

COVID False Positives Found in Lab Workers

Oct. 13, 2022 – Dr. Lisa Frenkel and colleagues in the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research found a common lab reagent can cause false positive COVID tests.

Anti-clotting pill may usurp current treatments in kids

Oct. 31, 2022 – Dr. Michael Portman, Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research and Division of Cardiology, along with an international research team, tested the safety and effectiveness of an anti-clotting pill in children.

Sleuthing the Source of a New Neurodevelopmental Disorder

Oct. 6, 2022 – Dr. Brock Grill and lab members in the Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research collaborated with an international research team to identify the molecular genetic cause of a new neurodevelopmental disorder.

Engineering B Cells for Future Therapies

Oct. 6, 2022 – Nature Communications published findings by Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Drs. Richard James and David Rawlings about long-lived engineered B cells to deliver protein therapies.

New T-Cell Therapy May Treat or Prevent Type 1 Diabetes

Oct. 5, 2022 – Science Translational Medicine published new insights by Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Dr. David Rawlings and Benaroya Research Institute’s Dr. Jane Buckner into promising T-cell therapy to treat type 1 diabetes.

Pinpointing the Origin of Deadly Brain Tumors

Sept. 21, 2022 – In two papers published in Nature, Dr. Kathleen Millen and her team are the first to identify the cells that give rise to the most aggressive forms of medulloblastoma.

One Bite Closer to a Malaria Vaccine

Sept. 1, 2022 – Science Translational Medicine published new findings by Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Drs. Stefan Kappe and Ashley Vaughan and University of Washington’s Dr. Sean Murphy showing a genetically engineered parasite vaccine provides protection from controlled human malaria infection.

Featured Research