Case Western Reserve University benefits from NIH grants to study treatments for children – MedCity Morning Read, Nov. 18, 2009

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BETHESDA, Maryland – The National Institutes of Health on Tuesday announced $8.5 million in grants to support 18 studies of pharmaceutical treatments for children, including two at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

The principal investigator on both of the Case studies is Dr. Pamela Davis, dean of the medical school, according to information posted on the Web site of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

One of the studies led by Davis relates to body mass index and the effectiveness of anti-hypertensive medicine in children and adolescents. The other study seeks to “establish a new way to diagnose and assess the treatment of pediatric hypertension” by validating the use of a blood pressure monitor originally developed for adults, according to the NCRR Web site.

Sixteen other institutions throughout the country also received funding, administered by the NCRR and provided by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), both of which are part of the NIH. The studies focus on three areas: pediatric cardiology, neonatology and pediatric neurology.

“People of different ages require research outcome measures that are tailored to their size and condition,” Dr. Steven Hirschfeld, NICHD associate director for clinical research, said in a statement. “These studies will fill a critical gap by providing the precision needed to understand outcomes for younger patients who may respond differently than adults, and thereby enhance the quality of pediatric research.”

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