Developmental Biology and Pediatric Disorders
Center Leader: Jeffrey Golden, MD
Understanding the pathobiology of pediatric diseases within a developmental framework is paramount to the diagnosis, management and cure of many childhood diseases. Understanding developmental biology is therefore crucial to the Hospital’s mission of being the leader in caring for children. Accomplishing this goal requires basic research focused on elucidating the mechanisms of developmental processes.
The Developmental Biology and Pediatric Disorders Research Affinity Group strives to provide cutting-edge basic and translational research in developmental biology and train the next generation of pediatric physician/scientists. This affinity group augments and elevates existing research efforts in developmental biology at Children’s Hospital and aspires to implement a “bench to bedside and back to the bench” paradigm.
Establishing and maintaining cutting-edge research in the highly competitive and rapidly changing field of developmental biology requires access to state-of-the-art equipment and techniques as well as economies of scale, all of which are made possible by sharing ideas and resources within the affinity group.
The Transgenic Core provides all Hospital investigators with access to consultation and application of transgenic and mutagenesis experiments. Common space for intermittently performed functions such as use of chemical benches, thermocyclers, gel elecrophoresis and documentation and microscopy takes advantage of economies of scale and encourages each lab to use their own space more efficiently and to share the cost of equipment that can be used in several labs. These common spaces also provide areas where individuals from different labs come in regular contact, fostering interactions between labs.
The Developmental Biology affinity group cultivates an intellectual environment to support outstanding scientific investigation. One example of this cultivation is a seminar series that provides a venue for Hospital investigators to interact with outstanding developmental biologists and provides a forum for junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students to meet with and learn from potential colleagues and mentors. The affinity group also provides a data/journal club, an informal forum for students and postdoctoral fellows to present their own research or to critically review recently published papers.
Web Site for the Developmental Biology and Pediatric Disorders Research Affinity Group