November CHRI Research Bulletin

Research Bulletin

News from the Child Health Research Institute

November 2022

Q & A with New CHRI Member and Perinatal Researcher: Dr. Lynda Harris

Lynda Harris, PhD, recently joined UNMC as an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN). We asked Dr. Harris to share a little bit of her background and research interests and to relate how she expects and hopes to partner with other CHRI members and faculty in the Division of Neonatology.

What drew you to join the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UNMC?

To secure tenure in the UK, I moved from an OBGYN department to a pharmacy school, which came with more teaching and the expectation to focus on drug delivery research in a number of different diseases. Taking on my new role at UNMC has allowed me to move back to my first love – maternal and fetal health research – and to dedicate more time to expanding my lab. In addition, UNMC has excellent research facilities. My new colleagues are very helpful and supportive, and I feel I am able to increase my productivity in this important field.

How will you be working with the Department of Pediatrics Neonatology Team?

The ultimate aim of my research is to develop new treatments for pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction, providing better outcomes for affected babies. I will be working with the Division of Neonatology to share research expertise in this area and to obtain a supply of placentas for my research.

What specific challenges of placental dysfunction does your research lab seek to address?

Many pregnancy complications are caused by a placenta that isn’t growing or functioning correctly. As the placenta is the organ that is responsible for transporting nutrients and oxygen to the growing baby, by helping it work more effectively, we automatically help the baby, too. If the placenta is too small, we might want to deliver a therapy to promote cell growth to increase its size and capacity to support the baby. If there is not enough blood flowing through the placenta, we could deliver a vasodilator to relax the blood vessels and correct this problem. If we observe signs of inflammation or stress, we could deliver an anti-inflammatory agent or an antioxidant that corrects the damage.

Please describe an example of how nanomedicine can be deployed to fine-tune drug delivery to the placenta.

The problem with giving any medicine in pregnancy is the risk that it may cross the placenta and harm the developing baby. There is not enough information about the safety of many drugs in pregnancy, so doctors often take a conservative approach and advise pregnant people to limit or stop taking the medicines they would normally use. This is also why pharmaceutical companies don’t prioritize developing drugs for pregnancy complications. Using nanomedicines to precisely control which organ a medicine is delivered to can reduce the risk of harming the baby. My lab designs targeted liposomes which only deliver drugs to the placenta. These tiny, biodegradable lipid packages are decorated with a special peptide “zip code” on their surface, so when they enter the body, they remain intact until they reach the placenta. They are then taken up by the placental cells, where they release their drug cargo and are broken down naturally. This allows us to safely treat the placenta – the source of the problem – knowing this will also improve the outcome for the baby. We have shown, using pregnant mice and non-human primates, that the nanoparticles prevent the encapsulated drugs from crossing to the fetus and do not affect normal placental function or fetal development. We have also developed a different type of nanoparticle that helps keep drugs in the mother’s blood stream. These nanoparticles are ignored by the placenta!

As you get your team set up here, are you looking for new collaborators in any particular areas of expertise?

I would be interested in building collaborations with clinical staff who have access to uterine and placental tissue, anyone interested in medicines usage in pregnancy and more generally, anyone with a shared interest in women’s health, reproduction and pregnancy.

Dr. James Ford’s Osteosarcoma Research Awarded $25k from Lolo’s Angels

Lolo’s Angels has presented James Ford, DO, associate professor of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, with a grant of $25,000 to further fund osteosarcoma (OS) research. OS is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in children and adolescents. The standard of care for OS includes a treatment plan consisting of chemotherapy and surgery. Patients with metastatic disease have very poor survival outcomes and even those with local disease have 5-year survival rates around 70%.

Dr. Ford, along with DJ Murry, PharmD, professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, and Sarah Holstein, MD, PhD, professor, Division of Oncology & Hematology, is exploring the activity of a novel tropolone in OS. Among several naturally occurring tropolones that have anti-cancer properties, they have focused on the development of one called MO-OH-Nap that has potent cytotoxic activities. The team plans to use the funding from Lolo’s Angels to evaluate the effects of combining MO-OH-Nap with traditional chemotherapeutic agents used to treat OS on induction of cell death and cellular metabolism. These studies will enable future preclinical studies evaluating MO-OH-Nap-based combination treatment strategies that could one day be translated to the clinic.

“We couldn’t be more thankful for the support in helping us find an impactful treatment option for kids with OS, where new treatment options are needed,” Dr. Ford said. “We appreciate Lolo’s Angels for their commitment to supporting the efforts of local researchers.”

Lolo’s Angels’ mission is to fund life-saving pediatric cancer research and treatment, sponsor blood and bone marrow drives, raise awareness for pediatric cancer and serve kids and families through their cancer journey.

CHRI Priorities & Activities:

Update from Executive Director Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD

This month, we welcome a host of new partners to our CHRI community. We are very excited to work with the new UNMC Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR), Ken Bayles, PhD. Dr. Bayles has served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Basic Science Research, overseeing the Biosafety Program, the Comparative Medicine Advisory Group and the Scientific Research Oversight Committee for over a decade. He also served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activity at UNO. Dr. Bayles will serve on the CHRI Internal Advisory Board in his position as UNMC’s VCR, and we are delighted to have his broad experience and expertise to support our Institute’s growth and development.

In addition, this week we will welcome, for the first time on our two campuses, our National Scientific Advisory Board (NSAB). This group of skilled investigators and leaders in child health research will be meeting with groups of stakeholders across both campuses to better understand CHRI’s successes and opportunities for growth, as well as the challenges that research faces in a time of incredibly competitive extramural funding. I am extremely grateful for the time and expertise that the NSAB brings to this external evaluation. If you attend the CHRI Conference Nov. 3 and 4, please introduce yourself and get to know this talented group.

Speaking of the meeting, we are eagerly anticipating the scientific presentations on Thursday evening at Children’s and Friday at the Scott Conference center. The abstracts that were submitted were excellent, and it was exciting to put together the program of presentations. CHRI members are doing amazing work, and this day is meant to celebrate each of you and your teams. If you couldn’t join us this year, please consider attending next year. We have a sold-out crowd for the space this week!

A quick note about upcoming events and opportunities. Please register for the NU Collaboration Retreat at the UNL innovation campus Nov. 18. This is a great way to meet other scientists and expand your research scope with the ability to apply for internal NU funding with very achievable awards.

Additionally, the final CHRI internal award deadline for this calendar year is Nov. 15. We will be excited to review your submissions.

Thanks for all you do to improve Child Health with your impactful science. I am honored to help support your work through the resources we have at CHRI. Please reach out if you have ideas or opportunities that we can incorporate to increase our impact.

Drs. Dudley, Muff-Luett and Rychwalski

August CHRI Grant Award Winners Announced

The following researchers received CHRI grants for their current research projects.

Andrew Dudley, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy

Project name: A cell adhesion-based mechanosensor regulating growth potential of the epiphyseal growth plate

Melissa Muff-Luett, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Pediatric Nephrology

Project name: Neonatal dialysis practices and outcomes

Paul Rychwalski, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics

Project name: Home ultrasonography of the eye for sight threatening conditions in children

Congratulations to each awardee!

Pediatrics Open Science Journal Seeking Applicants for Associate Editor Positions

Pediatrics Open Science is welcoming applicants for Associate Editors to serve on its inaugural Executive Editorial Board. The journal is seeking a diverse group of experienced, creative individuals committed to improving child health to help shape the mission and vision of the journal as it launches.

Qualifications

Content and/or methodologic area of expertise relevant to child health, as evidenced by education, scholarly activity, and/or impact on health policy relevant to children.
Publication in peer-reviewed journals.
Experience on an editorial board and/or as an associate/assistant/section editor is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Be an ambassador for the journal and its overall mission.
Share ideas for innovations in content and journal format.
Solicit ideas and opinions from colleagues regarding content and utility of the journal.
Manage the processing and review of a subset of articles, including assigning reviewers, providing comments, recommending article disposition, and soliciting commentaries.
Recruit articles for submission to Pediatrics Open Science from your colleagues and network.
Declare a conflict of interest if asked to manage an article that in any substantive way would present a conflict
Attend virtual Pediatrics Open Science Executive Editorial Board meetings approximately every other week.

Click here for more information.

For questions, please contact PedsOS@aap.org

Meet a Fellow CHRI Member

Kailey Snyder, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Education and Child Development Department within the Munroe Meyer Institute at UNMC.

What is your primary area of research?

I am a maternal/child health researcher with expertise in community-based participatory research, mixed methodologies and evaluation. I currently lead program evaluations related to prenatal health and early childhood education. My ongoing research efforts related to maternal health are focused on increasing breastfeeding self-efficacy upon return-to-work, pelvic floor health among postpartum individuals in rural communities and investigating the impact of the community-based doula on maternal/infant health outcomes. My research efforts related to early childhood include the development of culturally competent parent education for infant motor development and investigations related to parent/infant play behaviors.

Please share information on a current research project.

My work related to postpartum pelvic health in rural communities is utilizing the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) to develop a sustainable and efficient education package to improve self-management of pelvic health and ultimately increase physical activity. This is of critical importance to pediatric health and well-being as pelvic floor dysfunction is related to reduced maternal physical activity/increased sedentary behaviors. My previous research has demonstrated a key link to amount of maternal physical activity and the value placed on infant motor development/movement exploration opportunities provided. Specifically, the more movement a mother achieves, the more likely she is to engage in movement activities with her infant and place greater value on her child’s motor development. Identifying solutions to improve maternal physical activity behaviors in the postpartum period can ultimately influence physical activity and play behaviors in infancy and throughout early childhood.

The multiphase optimization strategy focuses on three phases of behavioral intervention development: preparation, optimization and evaluation. My interprofessional team, consisting of a women’s health nurse practitioner, victimologist and women’s health physical therapists, have spent the last year engaged in the preparation phase. We conducted a mixed-methods needs assessment with postpartum individuals in rural communities and pilot-tested education strategies. We are currently engaged in a fully powered trial to evaluate the intervention components that impact self-management of pelvic floor health and ultimately engagement in physical activity.

Are you looking for a particular type of researcher to collaborate with?

I am very interested in developing longitudinal strategies to investigate how behaviors in the perinatal period are associated with early childhood health and development. In addition, as a community-based participatory researcher, I am very interested in identifying opportunities to bridge maternal/child health support from the clinic to the community setting.

NIH Loan Repayment Information Resource:

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. The escalating costs of advanced education and training in medicine and clinical specialties are forcing some scientists to abandon their research careers for higher-paying private industry or private practice careers.

The LRPs counteract that financial pressure by repaying up to $50,000 annually of a researcher's qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research. Since tomorrow's medical breakthroughs will be made by investigators starting in their research careers today, the LRPs represent an important investment by NIH in the future of health discovery and the wellbeing of the nation.

Sidharth Mahapatra, MD, PhD, associate professor, Division of Pediatric Critical

Care, recently received loan repayment through this program. He is now helping to spread the word on how others can benefit. He has passed along the following information and has offered to be a resource to those interested in applying for loan repayment.

Website: www.lrp.nih.gov

Phone: (866) 849-4047 (9am-5pm, EST)

Email Inquiries:

lrp@nih.gov smahapatra@childrensomaha.org

Twitter:@NIH_LRP

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nihlrp