The LSU Department of Pediatrics maintains an active research environment in both clinical and basic sciences, and receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, the Environmental Protection Agency, a number of foundations dedicated to specific diseases (e.g., American Diabetes Association), and, for the purpose of clinical trials, various pharmaceutical companies.

Our Research Division is primarily housed at The Research Institute for Children at Children's Hospital New Orleans, and listed below are recent, current or pending projects in the Department of Pediatrics.

Allergy/Immunology

Asthma and Obesity: Impact of weight loss on inflammatory markers and clinical manifestations of asthma in children

Asthma and Obesity: Weight Loss and Inflammatory Markers

Creating a low allergen environment in-home and in-schools of asthmatic children: Education and Management

Tuberculosis, a model for Translational Research

Role of IgIV in the induction of antibody response in vitro in patients unresponsive to bacterial vaccine antigens in vivo

Cellular and molecular basis of the immune response in specific antibody deficiency.

Ambulatory Pediatrics

Faculty Development Program in Primary Care

School-Based Medical Clinic Expansion to Provide Adolescent Mental Health Services

Endocrinology

Mechanisms of Biologic Variation in Hemoglobin Glycation

The Study of Insulin Sensitivity in Low-Birthweight Louisiana Youth (The Silly Study)

Trial Net

Supporting documents [in PDF format] for "Hypokalemia and Alkalosis in Adipsic Hypernatremia are not Associated with Hyperaldosteronism" by by Michael Y. Torchinsky, MD; Stephen Deputy, MD; Fred Rambeau, BS; and Stuart A. Chalew, MD, to be published in Hormone Research

Gastroenterology

The pattern of colonic bacterial flora in infants with and without necrotizing enterocolitis

Eosinophilic gastroenteropathy

Effect of cholecystectomy on abdominal pain in patients with biliary dyskinesia

Clinical follow-up of children treated with Infliximab for inflammatory bowel disease

Development of Rotavirus-like particles in yeast cells for vaccine production

The Fc-gamma receptor, FcRn, functions to transport IgG across epithelial barriers

Cholera toxin and intestinal neurotransmitters modulate dendritic cell phenotype and function

Cholera toxin and the heat-labile enterotoxin have differential effects on intestinal endocrine cells

Genetics

Dermatoglyphics in Mosaic Downs

Hematology/Oncology

A Brahma Rasayana, ICHOR-CR, as a cancer therapy adjunct

A Study of Rasayanas as a Cardioprotectant Agent Through Antioxidation

Chemotherapy-Induced Hematopoietic Damage

Novartis-sponsored Clinical Trials of oral chelation in sickle cell disease (Exjade):  Patients with sickle cell disease may require multiple transfusions of red cells, but this may result in iron overload, necessitating iron chelation.  Unfortunately, the standard method of chelation entails daily subcutaneous infusions of desferal, a parenteral chelator---a method of chelation that is painful and inconvenient.  The oral chelator, Exjade, has been proven to be an effective, well-tolerated, and convenient means of reducing iron load. While the study remains open, it is closed to new recruitment.

Biocryst-sponsored Clinical Trial of BCX-1777 in patients with advanced and refractory T-cell (and B-cell) leukemia:  The drug BCX1777 inhibits signal transduction of leukemic cells and thus has the potential to prohibit leukemic cellular proliferation.  The trial is open to individuals with refractory or relapsed T- or B-cell leukemia.

Study of the Effect of Arginine Deficiency on Immune Responsiveness in Sickle Cell Disease:  Arginine deficiency has been described in patients with sickle cell disease.  It is postulated that patients with arginine deficiency may in part be responsible for the immune defects seen in sickle cell disease.  The study is open to recruitment for all patients with sickle hemoglobinopathy who have not had recent vasoocclusive crisis or other complications of disease.

Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Clinical Treatment Protocols: We offer the most current protocols for treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, CNS tumors, sarcomas, and other cancers seen in the pediatric population.  We are members of the Pediatric consortium of institutions offering childhood cancer treatment, the Children's Oncology Group (COG), and thus have access to the most recent and promising advances in the understanding and treatment of childhood cancer.

PBMTC clinical treatment protocols

Non-ablative SCT for pediatric hemoglobinopathy patients

Cord blood transplantation in sickle cell disease/thalassemia patients (Celgene-sponsored)

CD34-selected stem cells for transplantation

COBLT study (NHBLI)

Infectious Disease

Rotavirus VLPs in plants as vaccine candidate

Rotavirus VLPs as vaccine candidates

Development of a vaccine against Helicobacter pylori

Clinical and genetic surveillance of rotavirus in New Orleans

Evaluation of rotavirus vaccine efficacy

Neonatology

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 in neonatal pig heart

Nephrology

Cardiovascular Disease in Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis

Cardiovascular Risk in Pediatric Transplant Patients

Multicenter clinical trial of focal glomeruloschelrosis in children and young adults

Mechanisms and Treatment of Inflammation in Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis

Malnutrition-Inflammation Complex (MIC) in Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis

Prenatal and Perinatal Programming of Adult Hypertension

Tulane Hypertension & Renal Center of Excellence

Research

Attenuation of alcoholic hepatitis by transgenic expression of M3 protein

Candida albicans Surface Antigens

CD1D gene regulation in cancer

Center for immunology and immunotherapy of chronic disease: Tuberculosis, a model for translational research

Changes in Signal Transduction Molecules Measured by Flow

Cyometry: A Reflection of Immunological Competence

Developmental regulation of the insulin gene

Effect of hydroxyurea on immunity in sickle cell disease

Functional haplotypes of human CDID gene

Furin Inhibition in HIV Disease

Gene-based drug discovery for HIV infections

Group B Streptoccoal Peptide Mimetic Vaccine

HIV Infectivity Test for Antiviral Susceptibility

Mechanisms of Antibody-Mediated Toxin Neutralization

Molecular Mechanisms of cell wall biogenesis in Cryptococcus neoformans

Optimizing primary stroke prevention in SC Anemia children

Regulation of G-protein signaling in Cryptococcus Neoformans

Role of Iron in CD152/B7 Expression and Arthritis

Role of Murine Leukemia Virus in Autoimmunity

Role of transcriptional repressor protein, IA-1, in small cell lung cancer

Signaling of Cryptococcus neoformans Sch9 kinase in survival of macrophages and virulence

T cells in Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome

Tracing the functional effects of INSM1 during pancreas development

Transcription factors in neuroendocrine differentiation