Research Initiatives
Duke Pediatric Research Initiative
The Duke Pediatric Research Initiative, launched in 2000, links the work of clinicians and investigators throughout Duke Children's as they treat diseases ranging from neuroblastoma to neural tube defects. Duke's commitment to "bench-to-bedside" research ensures that patients benefit quickly from any new findings.
Duke Pediatric Site-Based Research Unit (SBRU)
The Duke Pediatric Site-Based Research Unit (SBRU), founded in 2007, provides a variety of resources to support pediatric clinical studies at Duke, including regulatory compliance, negotiation support, study design and implementation and investigator training.
Neonatal-Perinatal Research Institute (NPRI)
The Neonatal-Perinatal Research Institute (NPRI), established in 1997, is dedicated to developmental biology and focuses its research on the serious health problems of newborns. Among the areas of active investigation are the mechanisms of brain, lung and cardiovascular injury and the cellular etiology of birth defects.
Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFar) Institution
Duke is one of six Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFar) institutions currently running a large study on the development of peanut allergies in children. The Duke team is tracking 400 children over the course of five years to better understand how peanut allergies arise. They are watching for signs of peanut allergy, collecting blood samples periodically and searching for genes that influence peanut allergy. The number of children with peanut allergies doubled in the United States between 1998 and 2003 and these allergic reactions can often be life-threatening.
Center for Exercise, Nutritional Disorders and Obesity (CENDO)
The Center for Exercise, Nutritional Disorders and Obesity (CENDO) serves as an integrated, proactive and comprehensive resource for the evaluation and management of all obese children and adolescents treated within the Duke University Health System. Through a data management system, community education and outreach efforts, and ongoing research, CENDO aims to confront the growing problem of pediatric obesity and overcome the issue of fragmented and inconsistent evaluation and care of these patients. A CENDO intake facility opened during the fall of 2006.
Alice and YT Chen Pediatric Genetics and Genomics Research Center
In April 2006, Myozyme (recombinant acid alpha-glucosidase) was approved by the FDA for use in patients with Pompe disease, representing the culmination of efforts by Duke researchers to develop a cure for this deadly condition. With the goal of reproducing the bench-to-bedside approach that generated Myozyme and now offers hope for patients with Pompe disease, the Chens made a gift to the Department of Pediatrics to establish the Alice and YT Chen Pediatric Genetics and Genomics Research Center. This initiative will focus on single gene disorders amenable to enzyme replacement therapy or gene therapy.
