Food is the most likely source of exposure to the most harmful phthalates, which can also be found in household and personal care products.
Exposure during early pregnancy to some phthalates—man-made chemicals commonly found in household plastics, food and personal care products—can have adverse impacts on developing fetuses, according to a new study led by Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, a pediatric environmental health specialist at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and associate professor at the University of Washington.
The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found that increases in exposure to certain phthalates during the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with higher estrogen concentrations and lower testosterone concentrations in the fetus, thus increasing the chance of a genital abnormality in male babies at birth.
Heather Armstrong and her daughter, Lauren, saw positive results from their time in the SHIFT study last year. Armstrong is now a SHIFT peer interventionist helping other families.
Heather Armstrong made a commitment to a healthier lifestyle when she volunteered herself and her 8-year-old daughter, Lauren, for a weight management treatment study at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
For five months, Armstrong and Lauren attended weekly sessions in the Success in Health: Impacting Families Together (SHIFT) study that provided guidance and education to help them reach and sustain better eating and activity behaviors and ultimately better weight management. The sessions focused on healthy eating, supporting children throughout behavior changes, improving the home environment for physical activity and healthy eating, building confidence and incorporating more physical activity into family life. Read full post »
Seattle Children’s researchers developed a T cell that can both kill and resist HIV. On the left is a microscopic image of thousands of HIV-infected cells after being exposed to normal, unedited T cells. On the right is a microscopic image of HIV-infected cells after being exposed to edited T cells. The clumping in the image to the right indicates HIV positive cells are being killed by the edited T cells.
HIV is a cunning virus—it infects, takes over and shuts down the body’s T-cells that fight infection. This leaves HIV-positive individuals without immune power to fight off many types of infections, even a common cold, which can become deadly.
Researchers at Seattle Children’s Research Institute published two studies in the journal Molecular Therapy that could lead to a more permanent treatment that uses the power of the immune system to fight off disease. With the use of gene editing, they developed a T-cell that can both kill and resist HIV simultaneously, a promising step forward in the development of HIV immunotherapy.
“Our goal is to develop an HIV treatment that is more permanent than a daily drug,” said Dr. David Rawlings, director of the Center for Immunity and Immunotherapy at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. “In the future we hope this treatment would eliminate the need for HIV drugs that have negative side effects on people who need them to stay alive.” Read full post »
A pediatric heart surgery patient at the National Cardiovascular Center hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Researchers found giving babies thyroid hormone during and after heart surgery got them off ventilators faster.
Babies who need heart surgery in the U.S. have access to advanced healthcare and doctors that get them into the operating room quickly, allowing them to fix problems early and give the babies a chance at healthy growth.
But in developing countries, babies wait longer for surgery for a variety of reasons: Fewer qualified doctors, late diagnoses of heart conditions, and capacity issues at hospitals that cannot accommodate all the infants who need surgery. As a result, babies with heart conditions in developing regions of the world are often sicker and weaker when they finally have surgery.
Students from Sunrise Elementary in Puyallup, Washington participate in the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt for most people conducting a DNA isolation experiment simultaneously.
Seattle Children’s Research Institute succeeded in a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt for the most people conducting a DNA isolation experiment simultaneously. The record was set to celebrate the groundbreaking for Seattle Children’s newest pediatric research facility, Building Cure, which will be located in Seattle’s South Lake Union biotech corridor at 1920 Terry Ave. It is scheduled to open in 2019.
The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title was set by more than 300 people at the building’s future location. Several hundred volunteer participants isolated the DNA of a strawberry simultaneously, including elementary school students from Sunrise Elementary in Puyallup, Washington. Read full post »
The right side of Parker Walsh’s body and brain are bigger than the left. Doctors at Seattle Children’s Research Institute are studying a genetic mutation that could point to a cause for his condition.
When Parker Walsh flashes his toothy smile, he can get everyone around him grinning as well. That smile has pulled Parker, 21, and his family through a lot of tough times.
Parker was born with a host of medical issues that have impacted his development—a craniofacial abnormality, gastrointestinal issues, neurological delays and speech difficulty. Doctors could not pinpoint a specific cause for his conditions, and offered the best treatments available based on their diagnoses.
Now, doctors at Seattle Children’s Research Institute studying a gene that controls cellular growth have provided clues for what might have contributed to some of Parker’s medical issues, and the information could lead to improved diagnosis and therapies for babies and kids that share Parker’s experience. Read full post »
What if your child could help unlock a mysterious diagnosis or test a new treatment?
Each year, hundreds of patients participate in research studies conducted by Seattle Children’s Research Institute. Although the focus of the studies varies broadly, they all have one common goal: creating a better future for generations of children.
This year, the research institute celebrated its 10th anniversary. In just one decade, the research team has grown from 40 people to more than 1,500 faculty and staff members conducting groundbreaking research in state-of-the-art labs in three downtown Seattle buildings.
To commemorate this milestone, we interviewed young people and their families who have propelled research on concussions, asthma, Kawasaki disease and other conditions our researchers work on every day. Thanks to the families and young people who contribute to research, Seattle Children’s can improve treatment and care for children’s illnesses around the globe.
Lead researcher, Dr. David Suskind, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Seattle Children’s.
Can diet alone be used to treat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC)? It’s a question Dr. David Suskind, a gastroenterologist at Seattle Children’s, has been researching for years.
Today, he finally has the answer: yes.
In a first-of-its-kind-study led by Suskind, published today in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, diet alone was shown to bring pediatric patients with active Crohn’s and UC into clinical remission.
“This changes the paradigm for how we may choose to treat children with inflammatory bowel disease,” said Suskind. Read full post »
Bowen Warren, 3, was in the top blog post from 2016. Bowen was born with three heart defects and was brought to Seattle Children’s for emergency surgery.
Every day, extraordinary patients visit Seattle Children’s Hospital and researchers work toward medical breakthroughs at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. From scientific discoveries that make you say ‘wow’ to resilient patients who make you say ‘aww,’ these six blog posts from 2016 struck a chord with readers and were the most popular stories from the year.
The top blog post in 2016 featured Bowen Warren, who was rushed to Seattle Children’s for emergency heart surgery when he was born with three heart defects.
The Heart Center team developed a personalized treatment course for Bowen that included cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography and creating a 3-D replica of Bowen’s heart that allowed surgeons to ‘practice’ a complex procedure called a Nikaidoh before getting him in the operating room. Today, Bowen is a happy, healthy and thriving 3-year-old. Read full post »
Dr. Todd Cooper, director of the Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Program and Evans Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cancer at Seattle Children’s, is leading a new clinical trial for children and adolescents with AML.
Imagine conquering childhood cancer, only to find out that years down the road your heart may fail. Unfortunately, many children who have battled cancer face this reality. While often lifesaving, the effects of chemotherapy treatment (drugs that kill cancer cells) can take a toll on the developing body of a child, potentially resulting in life-threatening late side effects like cardiac damage.
“You go through terrible chemotherapy, achieve remission, have a new lease on life and then your heart fails,” said Dr. Todd Cooper, director of the Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Program and Evans Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cancer at Seattle Children’s. “It’s not fair, and we’re determined to change this reality.” Read full post »
