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| Vol. 22, No. 6 |
| April 1, 2000 |
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Baylor, Texas Children's Named to Research Network by Lori Williams Baylor College of Medicine Baylor College of Medicine and its affiliate, Texas Children's Hospital, have been named members of a new national research network to study therapies for serious pediatric illnesses. The Glaser Pediatric Research Network brings together scientists from five research institutions and their affiliate hospitals to advance better medical treatments for children. The network is supported by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, formed in 1988 to raise funds for pediatric HIV/AIDS research. The group is now expanding its efforts to a broader area of pediatric research. "The Glaser Foundation has made a significant contribution to pediatric AIDS research for more than a decade," says Dr. Ralph Feigin, president and chief executive officer of Baylor and physician-in-chief at Texas Children's. "We are honored to be a part of this new expanded effort to support research for children's illnesses. "When major institutions collaborate on research, the benefits to children are much greater," he says. Dr. David Poplack, professor of pediatrics at Baylor, will be one of the network leaders. "This network provides an exciting opportunity to accelerate the process of moving laboratory research to patient care," Dr. Poplack says. "A team approach such as this directly benefits children with life-threatening illnesses." Paul Glaser, chairman of the foundation board, says, "Research teams will investigate a range of pediatric diseases, including disorders of the immune systems, emerging infections, congenital birth defects and genetic diseases - in a lab without walls - and by doing so, accelerate the transfer of research findings to patient treatment." The foundation is committing $8 million for the first two years of the network's operation. Of that amount, $5 million will fund a clinical pediatric program in which research teams will collaborate to develop new treatments. Another $2 million will fund scientific conferences and technology development and $1 million will fund a fellows program. "The fellowship component of the network is important as it will allow us to attract the best young scientists to the area of pediatric research," says Dr. Poplack, who also serves as director of Texas Children's Cancer Center, a joint effort of Baylor and Texas Children's. The other participating institutions are Harvard Medical School/Children's Hospital-Boston; Stanford School of Medicine/ Lucile Packard Children's Hospital; UCLA/Mattel Children's Hospital; and the Children's Medical Center at the University of San Francisco.
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