Thank you to everyone who came out to the 2026 Fetal Intervention Family Day event! Families from across the center— as well as our medical staff and their families— gathered on a beautiful day of community and smiles! When we first met our families, they were expectant parents of complex fetal conditions that required expert care. Now, we’re so happy to see their children and families continue to grow. Learn more about our Fetal Care and Surgery Center. bostonchildrens.social/3Ubq948...
Boston Children’s is proud to lead THUMPIN’ (Tissue-engineered Hearts Using Multimodal Printing in Newborns), a new research initiative bringing together Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and NTT Research to advance bioengineered heart tissues for infants and young children with congenital heart disease.
For children with complex heart defects, treatment can mean surgery after surgery as they grow. THUMPIN’ aims to change that by developing living cardiac tissues that can grow, function, and adapt with a child - with the ultimate goal of creating a complete, functioning heart.
Led by Drs. Pedro Del Nido and Kit Parker, alongside collaborators Drs. William Pu, Juan Melero-Martin, and Vassilios Bezzerides of Boston Children’s; Dr. Elena Aikawa of Mass General Brigham; and Dr. Joe Alexander of NTT Research, this initiative brings together experts across cardiac surgery, tissue engineering, stem cell biology, and more to help turn this vision into a future treatment option for children.
Boston Children’s is proud to lead THUMPIN’ (Tissue-engineered Hearts Using Multimodal Printing in Newborns), a new research initiative bringing together Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and NTT Research to advance bioengineered heart tissues for infants and young children with congenital heart disease.
For children with complex heart defects, treatment can mean surgery after surgery as they grow. THUMPIN’ aims to change that by developing living cardiac tissues that can grow, function, and adapt with a child - with the ultimate goal of creating a complete, functioning heart.
Led by Drs. Pedro Del Nido and Kit Parker, alongside collaborators Drs. William Pu, Juan Melero-Martin, and Vassilios Bezzerides of Boston Children’s; Dr. Elena Aikawa of Mass General Brigham; and Dr. Joe Alexander of NTT Research, this initiative brings together experts across cardiac surgery, tissue engineering, stem cell biology, and more to help turn this vision into a future treatment option for children.
We want to thank the many fundraisers and community partners who made a difference for children and families facing cancer during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. We’re especially proud to highlight One Mission for their year-round support of pediatric cancer care and research. Through the One Mission Resource Room and the One Mission Music Therapy Program, their fundraising helps create moments of comfort, connection, and normalcy when families need it most. ...
Learn why Boston Children’s employees and patients say they’re choosing to get vaccinated.
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The history of cystic fibrosis diagnosis
In 1955, Dr. Harry Shwachman, head of Boston Children’s Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, developed the first practical sweat test to diagnose cystic fibrosis (CF). It involved encasing the patient’s body in a plastic bag to collect sweat, then using the pictured device to measure levels of salt in the sample. Cystic fibrosis causes sweat to be 2-5 times saltier than average. The sweat test allowed for much simpler and earlier diagnosis of CF, crucial to effective treatment. A version of it is still the main diagnostic tool used today.