ST. LOUIS – January 18, 2008-- Will brain-powered robots one day restore mobility to children with cerebral palsy? Do circadian rhythms impact the outcome of cancer therapy? Can the root cause of pediatric heart disease be explained by a fruit fly?

Thought-provoking and intriguing questions like these will chart the course for eight newly-added research initiatives by the Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI). The CDI is a partnership between St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine to leverage research – including access to the human genome - and direct patient care to accelerate cures for childhood disease.

The CDI has approved $2.2 million dollars for the new research, and to appoint two full-time scholars and one academic fellow. Since its launch in January 2006, the CDI has awarded nearly $7 million toward novel pediatric research programs.

Spanning seven departments within Washington University’s Schools of Medicine, Engineering and Arts & Sciences, the CDI’s philosophy of interdisciplinary team-building has set the table for breathtaking discoveries, according to Scientific Director Jonathan Gitlin, M.D.

“People are interacting in ways we never could have imagined possible,” says Gitlin, who also heads the department of genetics at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and is the Helene B. Roberson Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine. “Diversity makes everything work. You want people in the room who have different ideas.”

One such dream team combines an assistant professor of computer science with researchers in biomedical engineering and pediatric neurosurgery. Headed by computer scientist, William Smart, Ph.D., the project seeks to develop a robot that can be controlled by signals directed from the human brain.

“This is about as far from where I thought I’d be working as I’ve ever imagined,” says Smart. “Of everything I’ve done in my career, I’m most excited about this project because if it sees its full potential it will really change the quality of life for children with cerebral palsy and beyond.”

Erik Herzog, Ph.D. is an associate professor of biology. His investigation into circadian rhythms and tumor biology in flies and mice will bring him together with Josh Rubin in pediatric oncology to discover new drugs and approaches to therapy in children with brain cancer.

“I consider myself fortunate to be at an institution with such a robust research environment and to work at a children’s hospital that has capitalized on those resources to support endeavors that will make a difference in the future of child health,” says Jennifer Gries Duncan, MD, who is one of two new CDI scholars recruited to the faculty through this round of funding. Dr. Duncan will join the Congenital Heart Disease Center.

Her work will focus on a model of metabolic disease in the heart of the fruit fly to answer questions about the formation of the human heart. The goal is to provide a bridge between the rapid gains in genetic technology and the clinical need to answer biologically relevant questions in children with congenital heart disease.

The CDI is comprised of four centers, which focus on four of the most deadly or debilitating pediatric diseases. The centers are the Congenital Heart Disease Center; the Center for Musculoskeletal Disease, the McDonnell Pediatric Cancer Center and the Center for Pediatric Pulmonary Disease.

Click here for a complete list of awards and funding allocation.