Have an update to share? Research news, milestones, funding announcements, and events can be submitted via the Research Communications request form. In addition to the monthly newsletter, Manne Research Institute distributes a bi-weekly "Events and Opportunities" email featuring upcoming events, including virtual and in-person educational opportunities, and relevant research deadlines. All previous updates can be found in the Research Communications archive.

In the latest Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute President's Message, Dr. Seed highlights the research of the Gender Development Program, which has overcome significant barriers in pursuit of the science that informs and improves the healthcare of children & adolescents.

The NUCATS Institute has developed a research study recruitment toolkit to assist in promoting active clinical trials. Among the resources available are:

Connected Care Center—Updates to Processes and Locations

Gary Mayberry recently joined the Research Support Office as a Research Administrative Coordinator. Mayberry, who earned a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication with a focus on Public Health from DePaul University and an associate degree in Business Administration from Vincennes University, is a state-certified health and life insurance producer with the Illinois Department of Insurance. Most importantly, though, he is a decorated service-connected veteran of the United States Army who actively severed in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom campaigns and has more than 14 years of managerial experience with military and civilian medical institutions. Some of his accomplishments include being selected as the administrative liaison for the Department of the Army and providing medical administrative support to more than 25,000 personnel within the Army Medical Command. He was also the Tricare/CHAMPVA liaison to Marietta Memorial Hospital located in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he created the standard operating procedure for the Veteran Claims Department. Mayberry is a strong believer of leading from the front and believes teamwork and diversity are the most important tools to being successful in any organization.

The Research Support Office has named Suswara Mandala Rayabandla Grant Research Specialist. Rayabandla has more than six years of experience in community outreach, project management, emergency preparedness, market research, and pharmaceutical clinical trials. Prior to joining Lurie Children’s, Rayabandla interned at the World Health Organization, supporting WHO’s partnership with the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, and worked at the Douglas County Health Department in Nebraska as a COVID-19 responder. She earned a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Administration and Policy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a master’s degree in Pharmacy from the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, India.

The Office of Sponsored Programs announces that Sharon Feldman has joined the team as Senior Sponsored Programs Administrator. Feldman brings more than 20 years of research management experience to the role, which includes supporting Principal Investigators on grants with annual budgets ranging from $30,000 to $4 million and managing all aspects of grants funded by NIH and private foundations. Feldman’s interest in tobacco prevention and control motivated her to earn a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois Chicago. Most recently, she worked at the university, where she supported grants focused on tobacco taxation, tobacco prevention in teenagers, and youth obesity. She also earned an Award of Merit for her excellence in service, commitment, and dedication to the university. Prior to that, she worked at Rush University on ALLHAT, a blood pressure medication comparison trial funded by NHLBI.

Yetong Li 

Research Technologist II 

The Akhar Laboratory, which is part of the Host-Microbial Interactions, Inflammation, and Immunity neighborhood, welcomes Yetong Li as its new Research Technologist II. Li, who earned bachelor’s degrees in Biology and English from Northwestern University, has more than three years of research experience, including assignments in a fly lab and a protein lab. She received two research grants and a writing award from the university’s English department, and was involved in several extracurricular activities, such as the Biology Student Association, the literary and arts magazine Helicon, and the Northwestern Undergraduate Research Journal.

Kenneth C. Griffin, Chief Executive Officer of Citadel, recently announced a $5 million donation to establish an innovative Research Catalyst grant program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. As a result, the newly named Kenneth C. Griffin Research Catalyst Fund will empower pediatric investigators at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute to pursue transformative discoveries, which will ultimately lead to significant, long-term grant funding from federal agencies and the private sector.

The Kenneth C. Griffin Research Catalyst Fund supports early-career researchers who bring immense talent, energy, and diverse perspectives to their work; seed funding for new and bold ideas that require extensive data and analysis; and bridge funding for scientists at Manne Research Institute to continue to pursue promising research.

Mr. Griffin’s generous investment is matched with $1 million to create a $3 million expendable fund and $3 million endowment fund, which will ensure the impact of the Kenneth C. Griffin Research Catalyst Fund continues into the future.

Congratulations to the three winners of the 2022 Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute Mental Health Springboard Awards. The awards provide resources to allow investigators to initiate new research efforts toward understanding aspects of childhood and adolescent mental health across the translational research spectrum (i.e., basic, clinical, and health services research), while working to obtain extramural funding to sustain these new research collaborations.

Proposal title: The Impact of COVID-19 on Rates of Suicidal Ideation

Amount funded: $25,000

An increasing number of suicidal youth have presented to emergency departments in the United States since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but little is known about this growing high-risk population. The grant will support a study to examine the role of the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of suicidal ideation and behaviors, as measured by the Ask Suicide Screening Questionnaire, among youth presenting to the emergency department at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. This study will particularly examine the role of universal screening in capturing youth at highest risk for suicide. Data from this study will allow Principal Investigator Amanda Burnside and the research team to seek National Institute of Mental Health funding opportunities to implement targeted screening and develop pilot interventions to best support youth at risk for suicide.

Proposal title: Our Voices Matter—Developing and Piloting a Racial Justice Activism Curriculum to Address Mental Health Burden in Youth

Amount funded: $25,000

Activism is a tool for societal change and emerging evidence suggests that racial justice activism—a form of social justice action that seeks to redress structural racism and discrimination and address racial injustice—holds promise as a coping strategy to reduce depression. The grant allows Dr. Nia Heard-Garris and her research team to create and pilot a racial justice activism behavioral intervention to mitigate depressive symptoms and allostatic load in Black and Latinx adolescents and young adults experiencing structural racism and discrimination. Dr. Heard-Garris plans to use the findings from this study to directly support a planned R01 submission in the Fall 2023.

Marie Heffernan, PhD 

Proposal title: Checking in on Youth Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health in Illinois: A Statewide Survey of Parents

Amount funded: $24,243

The grant will seed research to characterize the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of Illinois youth at multiple timepoints to understand the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to investigate associations between youth and parent mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Youth mental, emotional, and behavioral healthcare needs have greatly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, so timely research such as this aims to generate insights to inform clinical guidance and public policy in this area. Principal Investigator Marie Heffernan and her research team will use the data collected from this study to position the team to apply for funding through the National Institutes of Mental Health.

The process of peer-review ensures high standards for publications contributing to advancement of scientific literature and academic research. When journal editors draw from this pool of rigorously evaluated research and highlight a study as important, it is an honor. The editors of Neurosurgery and Journal of Neurosurgery recently designated not one, but two different studies co-authored by several researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago as Editor’s Choice articles.

“Among all the studies getting published in these neurosurgery journals—which are the best ones with the highest impact in our field—we’re honored that the editors of two highly respected journals felt our two studies are particularly noteworthy,” said Sandi Lam, MD, MBA, Head of the Division of Neurosurgery and David G. McLone, MD, PhD Professorship in Pediatric Neurosurgery at Lurie Children’s, and the senior author of both studies. “It is particularly meaningful to me as a division chief and neurosurgeon–scientist, taking care of children in clinical practice, mentoring doctors and researchers, and endeavoring to influence scientific and policy directions through research.”

The editors of Neurosurgery selected the study “Firearm-Related Pediatric Head Trauma: A Scoping Review,” which was conducted by Dr. Lam and Melissa LoPresti, MD, Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellow at Lurie Children’s, along with collaborators at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Medical Center Library. The timely topic, the meticulous approach, and the call-to-action for the field hold important messages. The Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group chose the study “The Role of Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Genetic Etiologies of Drug-resistant Epilepsy: A Meta-analysis” for the article’s content and interest to the readership. Dr. Lam and Dr. LoPresti contributed to the study as did Lu Zhang, PhD with the Division of Neurosurgery at Lurie Children’s, along with team members from Texas and New York.

Pediatric research at Lurie Children’s is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute.

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Lisa Akhtar, MD, PhD, Attending Physician, Division of Infectious Diseases, at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, an R01 grant award to fund the study, “The Impact of Viral Genomic Variation on Neonatal Disease Outcomes.”

The R01 is a collaboration between co-investigator Dr. Akhtar and principal investigator Moriah Szpara, PhD, Associated Professor of Biology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology at Pennsylvania State University.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection of the neonatal brain causes severe encephalitis and permanent developmental deficits, yet the factors that promote infection of the neonatal brain are unknown. The funded study seeks to determine the level of viral genetic variability present in HSV isolated from the neonatal population and the impact of genetic variations on clinical disease manifestation. The researchers will use large-scale viral genomic sequencing to identify variations most frequently associated with invasive neonatal infection, as well as animal modeling to distinguish host and viral contributors to neurovirulence. The goal is to generate the first insights into how variations in the neonatal HSV genome impact neurovirulence and the development of encephalitis.

Dr. Akhtar is the Principal Investigator of the Akhtar Laboratory, which is focused on understanding how viruses infect and cause pathogenesis in the pediatric brain. She is also the Bernard L. Mirkin , PhD, MD Research Scholar at Lurie Children’s and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Infants from minoritized racial and ethnic backgrounds who have positive newborn screening tests for cystic fibrosis received their diagnostic follow-up for the disease later than recommended and later than white, non-Hispanic infants, according to a study published in the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. The study also found that this delay in diagnosis and treatment was associated with worse early nutritional outcomes and may contribute to previously documented, considerable health disparities in people with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive genetic disease that damages multiple organs, including the lungs and pancreas. The disease is caused by variants in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene that lead to insufficient flow of salt and water in and out of cells. In the lungs, this creates buildup of thick, sticky mucus that can result in chronic lung infections and severe lung disease. Early nutritional deficits are associated with increased respiratory signs and symptoms, lower pulmonary function and childhood mortality.

“While race is a social construct, CFTR gene variant distribution differs by race and ethnicity, and people with cystic fibrosis from minoritized groups have more rare variants. This can mean less than two variants are found on newborn screening (cystic fibrosis is an autosomal recessive disease, so two variants must be present for disease to occur), raising less clinical concern and delay diagnostic evaluation,” said lead author Susanna McColley, MD, a pulmonologist from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Also, medical literature often describes cystic fibrosis as mainly affecting white people, specifically those of northern European ancestry, which may result in bias when interpreting newborn screening results for infants of other racial and ethnic backgrounds, leading to delays in evaluation and initiation of treatment.”

Newborn screening results for cystic fibrosis are generally sent to primary care offices that refer infants with out-of-range tests to facilities with expertise in diagnostic testing and treatment. It is recommended that infants who screen positive for cystic fibrosis receive their diagnostic evaluation by 28 days of age.

The study found that infants who were Black/African American, American Indian/ Native Alaskan, Asian, and/or Hispanic received diagnostic follow-up at median age of 31 days, compared to 22 days for white infants. These infants also more often had symptoms at presentation, which places them at risk for severe complications that could be fatal.

“Prompt evaluation is critical for all infants with out-of-range newborn screening test for cystic fibrosis,” said Dr. McColley. “Because pre-symptomatic treatment of cystic fibrosis is the overarching goal of newborn screening, we advocate for quality improvement activities that lead to timely diagnosis of all infants. We absolutely must achieve equity in diagnostic evaluation and initiation of care for cystic fibrosis. Children’s lives depend on it.”

The study was supported by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Pediatric research at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is conducted through Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute. Manne Research Institute is focused on improving child health, transforming pediatric medicine and ensuring healthier futures through the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Lurie Children’s is ranked as one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. It is the pediatric training ground for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Nearly 6 percent of children who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with COVID-19 reported symptoms of long COVID 90 days later, according to a study conducted in eight countries and published in JAMA Network Open. Initial hospitalization of 48 or more hours, four or more symptoms at the initial ED visit, and age 14 years or older were associated with long COVID.

“We found that in some children, illness with COVID-19 is associated with reporting persistent symptoms after 3 months,” said Principal Investigator Stephen Freedman, MDCM, MSc, with the Cumming School of Medicine at University of Calgary, and Alberta Health Services. “Our results suggest that appropriate guidance and follow-up are needed, especially for children at high risk for long COVID.”

The study included 1,884 children with COVID-19 who had 90-day follow-up. Long COVID was found in nearly 10 percent of hospitalized children and 5 percent in children discharged from the ED.

“Reported rates of long COVID in adults are substantially higher than what we found in children,” said Co-Principal Investigator Nathan Kuppermann, MD, MPH, from University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento. “Our findings can inform public health policy decisions regarding COVID-19 mitigation strategies for children and screening approaches for long COVID among those with severe infections.”

The most reported persistent symptoms in children were fatigue or weakness, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

“Our finding that children who had multiple COVID-19 symptoms initially were at higher risk for long COVID is consistent with studies in adults,” said Co-Principal Investigator Todd Florin, MD, MSCE, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Unfortunately, there are no known therapies for long COVID in children and more research is needed in this area. However, if symptoms are significant, treatment targeting the symptoms is most important. Multidisciplinary care is warranted if symptoms are impacting quality of life.” Read more here.

Have a news item to share? Click here.

If you have an upcoming media opportunity, contact the Office of Research Development for assistance.