Scottish Rite for Children Scoliosis Research Genetics

Nov 23, 2021 / Research & Innovation

National Institutes of Health Grant Awarded to Wise is GOOD for Kids

Researchers at Scottish Rite for Children have received an R03 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support their efforts in a new Genomics of Orthopaedic Disease (GOOD for Kids) program. Originally funded by a grant from the NIH Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program, GOOD for Kids will continue work to understand adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The new grant will fund the analysis of a vast amount of genetic data coupled with leading-edge genomic technologies to discover genetic causes of AIS.

“Our long-term goal is to improve management and develop preventions for scoliosis by identifying and understanding its underlying risk factors,” says Carol Wise, Ph.D., director of Molecular Genetics at Scottish Rite for Children and principal investigator for this study. Wise’s team at Scottish Rite has successfully discovered the genetic causes for a number of pediatric disorders, including many genetic risk factors for AIS.

With Jonathan J. Rios, Ph.D., assistant director of Molecular Genetics at Scottish Rite, and the molecular genetics research team, Wise will analyze whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from multiple generations of relatives with AIS. This will expand on the program’s previous success by pinpointing new genes and genetic causes. “This approach is supported by detailed clinical characterization and rich histories for families that, in some cases, were treated for multiple generations at our institution,” Wise says.

“The power of our clinical and genomic analyses will expand our understanding of pediatric musculoskeletal disease and help our team continue making strides to understand the genetic mechanisms of scoliosis and hopefully improve diagnosis and care of these children,” Rios says.

Carol Wise, Ph.D., is a professor in the McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development and the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW). Jonathan J. Rios, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development and the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW).
 
Tags:

You May Also Like: