About the Research Institute
As one of the nation’s top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children’s Research Institute is dedicated to making breakthrough discoveries that help prevent, treat and eliminate childhood disease.
A History of Groundbreaking Discoveries
Our researchers have pioneered groundbreaking cystic fibrosis treatments and cutting-edge cancer therapies that help a child’s immune system defeat cancer, and made other major contributions to pediatric medicine. Now, with more than 330,000 square feet of clinical and laboratory space, a workforce of over 1,000 people and $70 million in federal research funding for the 2012 fiscal year, we are working toward the next wave of lifesaving discoveries.
To accelerate our progress, the research institute is organized into nine centers, each one specializing in areas that include cancer immunotherapy, neuroscience and child health and behavior. The centers are supported by faculty from the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, the nation’s first pediatric bioethics center.
Collaborating with World-Renowned Partners
Researchers in the centers work in close collaboration with one another, their colleagues at partner institutions including the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and with our health care providers at Seattle Children’s Hospital, one of U.S. News & World Report’s top children’s hospitals. This collaboration is one of our key strengths, allowing our faculty to draw on a variety of disciplines and techniques as they pursue solutions to some of medicine’s most complex problems.
Turning Discoveries into Lifesaving Therapies
Guided by an experienced leadership team and a visionary strategic plan, we understand that finding a potential cure in a lab isn’t enough. Throughout the research institute and the hospital, our team is using clinical research, outcomes research, and clinical trials to transform important findings into real-world therapies that save children’s lives.
The research institute is constantly expanding and renovating to meet our faculty’s needs and to recruit the most talented researchers. In 2006 we acquired two research buildings in downtown Seattle’s bustling biotech district, and our state-of-the-art facilities comprise more than 300,000 square feet of lab, clinical research and office space. Our key infrastructure includes flow cytometry labs, a 5,000 square-foot pediatric clinical research center, and an upcoming, multi-million-dollar cell processing facility that will be among a small handful of pediatric facilities meeting strict FDA requirements for manufacturing therapies.
Research Centers
Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research
Director: Michael Jensen, MD
Researchers develop innovative treatments that maximize the well-being of children with cancer and the quality of life for survivors of childhood cancer. Learn more.
Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development
Director: Dimitri A. Christakis, MD, MPH
Researchers work collaboratively to address obesity, adolescent depression, the impact of media and other major issues affecting children. Learn more.
Center for Childhood Infections and Prematurity Research
Acting Co-Directors: Lisa M. Frenkel, MD, and Timothy M. Rose, PhD
Researchers work to understand, prevent and treat pediatric infections, including infections during pregnancy that cause preterm birth. Learn more.
Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Director: Bonnie W. Ramsey, MD
Clinical and translational research takes discoveries made in the laboratory and translates them into therapies that doctors and patients can use in daily life. Learn more.
Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Director: David Beier, MD, PhD
Researchers work to restore children's health after injury through repair, regeneration or replacement of tissues, cells and organs. Learn more.
Center for Developmental Therapeutics
Director: Charles (Skip) Smith, PhD
Researchers identify and develop new drugs and treatments that will be safer and more effective for children. Learn more.
Center for Genetics and Development
Director: Michael J. Bamshad, MD
Through research in human genetics and developmental biology, the center endeavors to improve diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of diseases and conditions. Learn more.
Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies
Director: David J. Rawlings, MD
Through scientific discovery and innovation, researchers work to harness the power of the immune system to prevent, treat or cure life-threatening childhood diseases. Learn more.
Center for Integrative Brain Research
Director: Jan (Nino) Ramirez, PhD
Researchers are developing new ways to prevent, treat and potentially cure pediatric neurological disorders. Learn more.
Center Strategic Planning
The research centers completed strategic planning in December 2007. One of the top objectives was to have a process involving all stakeholders. View information on Research Center strategic planning, including the Center Strategic Plans (PDF) and the Research Strategic Plan (PDF).