Research News from CHOP

CHOP Researchers Develop Novel Method Using MRI to Study Diseases Modeled in Zebrafish
This initial study found evidence linking changes in organ development with symptoms seen in certain human mitochondrial diseases.
CHOP Researchers Lead International Expert Panel, Curating Evidence for Over 100 Genes Causing Leigh Syndrome Spectrum
Forty researchers met regularly over four years to determine which genes have the strongest link to the most common pediatric form of mitochondrial disease.
Multidisciplinary Task Force Develops Clinical Recommendations for Rare, Life-Threatening Hyperinflammatory Syndromes
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) are overlapping hyperinflammatory syndromes that involve disorganization and malfunction of the immune system, leading to widespread inflammation and organ damage. The conditions can progress rapidly, making early identification and management key for preventing organ failure and death.
CHOP Researchers Show Epilepsy and Autism Symptoms in Dravet Syndrome May Be Caused by Separate Mechanisms
Dravet syndrome is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder defined by treatment-resistant epilepsy and features related to autism spectrum disorder.
CHOP and Penn Researchers Show Gene Editing Tools Can be Delivered to Perinatal Brain
CHOP researchers have identified an ionizable LNP that can deliver mRNA base editing tools to the brain to mitigate CNS disease in perinatal mouse models.

CHOP Researchers Develop Versatile and Low-Cost Technology for Targeted Long-read RNA Sequencing
CHOP researchers have developed a versatile and low-cost technology for targeted sequencing of full-length RNA molecules.
Researchers Find COVID-19 Causes Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Heart and Other Organs
While mitochondrial function recovered in the lungs, function did not recover in the heart and other organs, leading to long-term damage and a possible explanation for detrimental effects of “long COVID”.

CHOP Researchers Show “Cryptic” Viral Peptide Drives Large Part of Immune Response in Influenza A Virus Infection
A new study by researchers at CHOP and Penn has identified an important role for a non-classical MHC molecule that engages with a cryptic viral peptide derived from influenza A virus.

NIH Awards Penn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia $26 Million Grant to Develop Therapies for Rare Newborn Genetic Diseases
A Penn Medicine and CHOP team will seek to develop treatments for three rare, incurable genetic diseases with the help of a $26 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

CHOP Researchers Validate Pediatric “Allergic March” in Large National Study
In the largest study of its kind, CHOP researchers have validated a population-level pattern of pediatric allergy development known as the “allergic march.”