Blog | Page 3 of 157 | Boston Children's Answers

The journey to a treatment for hereditary spastic paraplegia

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cerebral palsy, drug development, gene therapy, genetics and genomics, neuroscience, rare disease

In 2016, Darius Ebrahimi-Fakhari, MD, PhD, then a neurology fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital, met two little girls with spasticity and decreased muscle tone in their legs, which affected their walking. Both girls, Robbie Edwards and Molly Duffy, had been diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), which comprises a group of more than 80 genetic ... Read More

Tagged: cerebral palsy, drug development, gene therapy, genetics and genomics, neuroscience, rare disease

A toast to BRD4: How acidity changes the immune response

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Linsey Covino-Deaso | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: cancer, immunotherapy, research

It started with wine. Or more precisely, a conversation about it. “My colleagues and I were talking about how some people think drinking wine may be anti-inflammatory,” recalls Xu Zhou, PhD, from the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Boston Children’s Hospital. “There’s no scientific ground for that, but we know wine is acidic.” ... Read More

Tagged: cancer, immunotherapy, research

The right decision at the right time: Choosing pediatric thyroidectomy

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: thyroid cancer

In some ways, siblings Adelaide and Declan couldn’t be more different. Nine-year-old Adelaide is creative, artistic, and nurturing. Declan, 7, is “our little athlete,” says his father, Todd. “Soccer, baseball — he’s always all in.” But the two also have something big in common: they share a rare genetic condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 2. ... Read More

Tagged: thyroid cancer

A safe, pain-specific anesthetic shows preclinical promise

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: anesthesia, critical care, orthopedics, pain

All current local anesthetics block sensory signals — pain — but they also interrupt motor signals, which can be problematic. For example, too much epidural anesthesia can prevent mothers in labor from being able to push. Prolonged local anesthesia after orthopedic surgery can leave patients unable to participate in rehab. Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital ... Read More

Tagged: anesthesia, critical care, orthopedics, pain

After surgeries to treat HLHS, Carter is healthy and happy at home in Florida

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Albert McKeon | Patient Stories

Tags: fetal cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs, single ventricle defects, surgery

Carter Miller loves action. The 4-year-old Florida resident enjoys riding on golf carts and flying high on swing sets. It’s the kind of fun that make his parents, Andrea and Bo, appreciate where the family is now. Nearly five years ago, they were worried after a prenatal diagnosis showed Carter would be born with a ... Read More

Tagged: fetal cardiology, Fetal Care and Surgery Center, heart, heart center, heart patient, hlhs, single ventricle defects, surgery

A unique marker for pericytes could help forge a new path for pulmonary hypertension care

Posted on September 4, 2025 by Joanne Barker | Basic/Translational, Research

Tags: pulmonary hypertension, pulmonology, research

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare condition that’s difficult to treat. The hallmarks of the disease — narrowing of the arterioles and capillaries that deliver blood to the lungs — force the heart to work harder. In severe cases, PAH can lead to heart failure. Pericytes support capillary function and may play a role ... Read More

Tagged: pulmonary hypertension, pulmonology, research

‘We never stopped believing’: Benny’s journey with liver cancer

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Jessica Cerretani | Patient Stories

Tags: liver cancer, transplant

Earlier this year, 12-year-old Benny helped his dad, Ben, build a deck around his family’s pool. Moving boards, handing each other tools — DIY projects are a rite of passage for many kids and their parents. But the experience was even more meaningful for Benny and Ben. “I got to enjoy that kind of father-son moment ... Read More

Tagged: liver cancer, transplant

New research shows caregiver instability affects development

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Erin Moore | Research

Tags: developmental medicine, psychiatry

According to some estimates, more than 100 million children around the world experience separations from their caregiver every year. Previous research — much of it derived from the long-running Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), which followed Romanian orphans from infancy to age 22 — suggests that caregiver disruptions like separations or changes in placement can ... Read More

Tagged: developmental medicine, psychiatry

Adam takes a pause from his active life for non-ossifying fibroma

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Joanne Barker | Patient Stories

Tags: bone tumors, orthopedics

Adam was 11 in early 2024 when he and his bike slid under a downed tree. Such events aren’t unusual for Adam, who finds plenty of opportunities to test the limits of gravity near his home in Southern Maine. “Adam is the epitome of activity,” says his mother, Jessica. After the bike incident, however, he ... Read More

Tagged: bone tumors, orthopedics

New research paves the way to a better understanding of telomeres

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Jessica Cerretani | Research

Tags: dyskeratosis congenita, genetics and genomics, research, stem cells, telomere disease

Much the way the caps on the ends of a shoelace prevent it from fraying, telomeres — regions of repetitive DNA sequences and a protein structure — protect the tips of chromosomes from damage. Every time our cells divide, telomeres lose a bit of that DNA. Eventually, telomeres become so short that they can no ... Read More

Tagged: dyskeratosis congenita, genetics and genomics, research, stem cells, telomere disease