How Our Children’s Hospitals Lead the Way with Coronavirus Research
COVID-19 has emerged as a deadly threat in 2020. As medical workers work tirelessly to keep people alive and essential workers keep society functioning, researchers across the world scramble to find more effective ways of detecting, treating, and curing the infection. Researchers at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals are leading the charge to make sure kids are getting the most effective lifesaving treatments possible, and they’re receiving funding through our Children’s Hospitals COVID-19 Impact Fund.
Boston Children’s Hospital
Researchers and doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital have been especially hard at work attempting to figure out how COVID-19 spreads. One study done through the hospital suggests that seasonal changes in weather won’t cause declines in the number of cases without the support of widespread and meaningful public health systems.
Another study hopes to discover why some children have come down with COVID-19 while most seem to be able to resist infection. In addition to the benefits uncovering this could have for the treatment of children, it could reveal effective treatments for adults. Adrienne Randolph, MD, MSc, the study’s principal investigator, stated that “if we can understand what protects kids, we may get clues as to why older people are so susceptible.”
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
While understanding how COVID-19 infects people and why some are more susceptible than others will undoubtedly prove extremely helpful in the ongoing fight, some researchers have focused on big picture solutions. Medical researchers and doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have a study currently under review proposing a strategy to vaccinate enough of the population to bring an end to the pandemic. They have found relatively stable regions in the virus’ genetic makeup that could lead to fast tracking safe and effective vaccines.
Duke Children’s Hospital
Children have, to an extent, haven’t been prioritized in the initial responses to COVID-19 due to their unexpected resilience against infection. However, that means at-risk kids have been left vulnerable. A pre-publication of study coming out of researchers based out of Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham, North Carolina identifies populations of children left vulnerable to the virus and proposes public health solutions that could be adopted by healthcare providers, communities, and policy makers.
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital
A collaboration between Ireland Children’s Hospital and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital potentially revealed why children and adults experience COVID-19 differently. The study suspects that the difference in severity could be due to how adults and children experience different inflammatory responses due to specific receptors on the cells of their respiratory systems.
Other Studies
Here’s a few other studies coming out of our member hospitals:
- Driscoll Children’s Hospital released a study reviewing what markers make pediatric patients vulnerable to COVID-19.
- Children’s Hospital Colorado is testing plasma treatment for COVID patients.
- Texas Children’s Hospital is working on a vaccine with Baylor School of Medicine.
- Seattle Children’s Hospital is studying a cough detection model to allow medical teams to treat coronavirus patients remotely.
During this unprecedented national emergency, kids treated a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals can’t wait for a vaccine for COVID-19. To support the COVID-19 Impact Fund, check out www.kidscantwait.org. Your donation will help fund the life-saving research our hospitals are engaging in, to help find a cure for COVID-19.