Research
AI-enabled medical devices are burgeoning, but many haven’t been tested in children
Medical devices that incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning are proliferating. In 2013, the FDA approved fewer than 10 such devices; by 2023, this number had grown to nearly 250. Devices include software to help interpret radiology images, wearable devices that monitor the heart and flag risks, and devices that analyze brain signals for potential ... Read More about AI-enabled medical devices are burgeoning, but many haven’t been tested in children
Research
Years of experience support the safe use of fine-needle aspiration for pediatric thyroid nodules
Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has long been used as a safe and effective way to evaluate thyroid nodules in adults, usually without sedation. Less is known about the safety and tolerability of FNA in children, although small studies suggest that the approach can be performed without sedation and with minimal complications. Now, a report by ... Read More about Years of experience support the safe use of fine-needle aspiration for pediatric thyroid nodules
Patient Stories
A small act of kindness: Blood donations get Sadie off the sidelines after her aplastic anemia diagnosis
In March of 2024, Sadie’s life was interrupted. A busy high school senior with classes to attend, soccer matches to play, and a much-anticipated trip to France on the horizon, Sadie was very active and felt generally healthy. But when a follow-up appointment at her pediatrician’s office led to an urgent referral to Boston Children’s ... Read More about A small act of kindness: Blood donations get Sadie off the sidelines after her aplastic anemia diagnosis
Research
Changing lives through genetics: The Children’s Rare Disease Collaborative
A 14-year-old girl was having back pain after a car accident and visited an orthopedic clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital. In the course of her care, she joined the Children’s Rare Disease Collaborative (CRDC), a hospital-wide effort to enroll children and adults with rare diseases in genetic studies. Genetic testing revealed that both she and ... Read More about Changing lives through genetics: The Children’s Rare Disease Collaborative
Research
Model enables study of age-specific responses to COVID mRNA vaccines in a dish
mRNA vaccines clearly saved lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, but several studies suggest that older people had a somewhat reduced immune response to the vaccines when compared with younger adults. Why? Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital, led by Byron Brook, PhD, David Dowling, PhD, and Ofer Levy, MD, PhD, found some answers — while providing ... Read More about Model enables study of age-specific responses to COVID mRNA vaccines in a dish
Research
Could a pill treat sickle cell disease?
The new gene therapies for sickle cell disease — including the gene-editing treatment Casgevy, based on research at Boston Children’s Hospital — have been game-changing for the patients who have received them. But Stuart Orkin, MD, the Boston Children’s hematologist whose work led the way to Casgevy, wants to go even further. “The editing therapy ... Read More about Could a pill treat sickle cell disease?
Research
A sickle cell first: Base editing, a new form of gene therapy, leaves Branden feeling ‘more than fine’
Though he doesn’t remember it, Branden Baptiste had his first sickle cell crisis at age 2. Through elementary school, he was in and out of the hospital with pain episodes, not knowing why. As he got older, he learned he had sickle cell disease. His red blood cells were forming sickle shapes and getting stuck ... Read More about A sickle cell first: Base editing, a new form of gene therapy, leaves Branden feeling ‘more than fine’
Health and Parenting
Keeping up with the tween skin care trend: What’s in those products?
More teens and tweens are hitting the mall to grab skin-care products they’ve seen on social media — but are these popular ingredients safe for younger skin? We asked Dr. Jennifer Tan and Dr. Jennifer Huang in Boston Children’s Dermatology Program to weigh in on this trend and break down common ingredients. Trends aren’t for ... Read More about Keeping up with the tween skin care trend: What’s in those products?
Patient Stories
Then and now: Catching up with some of our short bowel syndrome kids
Also known as “short gut,” short bowel syndrome is a life-threatening condition in which a lack of functioning intestine can make it difficult to absorb the nutrients needed to survive and thrive. Thanks to advances in medical and surgical treatments — many of which have been made by the team in Boston Children’s Center for Advanced ... Read More about Then and now: Catching up with some of our short bowel syndrome kids
Research
Injected microbubbles could be a safe way to deliver emergency oxygen
For years, researchers and clinicians have been trying to find a way to rapidly deliver oxygen to patients when traditional means of oxygenation are difficult or ineffective during critical moments of cardiac or respiratory arrest. Sometimes, hypoxemia caused by airway obstruction or lung disease can be so severe that methods to boost low-oxygen levels (including ... Read More about Injected microbubbles could be a safe way to deliver emergency oxygen