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Research Labs

As one of the nation’s top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children’s Research Institute has pioneered groundbreaking cystic fibrosis treatments and cutting-edge cancer therapies, and made other major contributions to pediatric medicine. With more than 350 investigators, our labs and research groups are working toward the next wave of discoveries for hundreds of diseases and disorders.

Alphabetical Listing of Research Labs

NameResearch CenterDisease or ConditionDescription
Christakis Lab Center for Child Health, Behavior and DevelopmentAttention problems, behavioral disordersThe Christakis lab investigates the impact that early experiences, including television exposure, have on children’s cognitive, social and behavioral development.
Cox LabCenter for Tissue and Cell SciencesCleft lip and palate, craniosyntosisThe Cox lab investigates molecular and developmental causes of common craniofacial malformations, such cleft lip/palate and craniosynostosis.
Cunningham LabCenter for Tissue and Cell SciencesSyndromic craniosynostosis, single suture craniosynostosisThe Cunningham lab uses animal models and human cell lines to study the molecular and developmental pathogenesis of human malformations. Their major field of study is the pathogenesis of craniosynostosis.
Frenkel Lab Center for Childhood Infections and Prematurity ResearchHIVThe Frenkel lab is working to prevent mother-infant HIV transmission by studying the mechanisms behind that transmission; developing practical, affordable ways to prevent it; and developing tests and treatments for drug-resistant HIV.
Hevner Lab Center for Integrative Brain ResearchLissencephaly and other neurodevelopmental disordersThe Hevner lab studies transcription factors and neurogenesis, the process by which neurons are formed in the developing brain. Neurogenesis holds great scientific and medical interest because of its significance for human brain development and disease.
Jensen Lab Center for Childhood Cancer ResearchLeukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastomaThe Jensen lab is pursuing innovative treatments that reprogram a child’s defense system to eliminate cancer cells, without chemotherapy or radiation – or their debilitating side effects.
Katzenellenbogen Lab Center for Childhood Infections and Prematurity ResearchHuman papillomavirus (HPV)The Katzenellenbogen lab studies the mechanism by which human papillomavirus (HPV) activates telomerase, an enzyme that is activated in cancers, in order to understand how HPV drives cells to become malignant.
Kolker Lab Center for Developmental TherapeuticsBioinformatics and High-Throughput Analysis LaboratoryThe Kolker lab focuses on bioinformatics, health informatics and integrative analyses. They use high-throughput technologies to examine and model molecular mechanisms of biological processes.
Majesky Lab Center for Tissue and Cell SciencesCongenital heart defects and other cardiac abnormalitiesThe Majesky lab is studying the embryonic development of the heart and vascular system, with the goal of developing cell-based therapies for congenital heart defects and other cardiac abnormalities.
Millen Lab Center for Integrative Brain ResearchDandy-Walker malformation and other cerebellar malformationsThe Millen lab studies the genetic and developmental basis of structural birth defects of the brain both in humans and mice.
Myers Lab Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development Telemental healthThe Myers lab is focused on providing evidence-based mental healthcare services through telemental health to rectify current disparities in access to mental healthcare.
Neonatal Respiratory Support Technologies (NeoRest) Center for Developmental TherapeuticsInfant respiratory distressThe NeoRest team is developing simple, affordable technologies that provide respiratory care to infants in developing countries, for a fraction of the cost of conventional ventilators.
Ojemann Lab Center for Integrative Brain ResearchEpilepsyThe Ojemann lab is interested in using electrocorticography (ECoG), which is used for long-term clinical monitoring of epilepsy patients, to answer basic neuroscience questions as well as to develop tools for clinical and rehabilitative applications.
Palermo Lab Center for Child Health, Behavior and DevelopmentChronic painThe Palermo lab studies pain in children, particularly the interrelationships of pain, sleep and behavioral/psychological factors; psychological and family treatments for pediatric chronic pain management; technological and Internet-based innovations for pain assessment; and health risk factors and chronic pain.
Rajagopal Lab Center for Childhood Infections and Prematurity ResearchStreptococcus, Staphylococcus aureusThe Rajagopal lab uses genetic, molecular, biochemical and proteomic approaches to study infectious diseases caused by bacteria. The human pathogens that we study are Group B Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus.
Ramirez Lab Center for Integrative Brain ResearchEpilepsy, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sleep apnea and other neurological disordersThe Ramirez lab is making fundamental advances in our understanding of the brain and building toward potential cures for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), epilepsy and other disorders. The lab is currently focusing on how periods of hypoxia, such as those experienced by sleep apnea patients, alter the neuronal network that controls respiration.
Saelens Lab Center for Child Health, Behavior and DevelopmentPediatric overweightThe Saelens lab investigates how environmental factors influence physical activity, eating behaviors and the psychosocial factors that influence individual choice for weight-related behaviors.
Speltz LabCenter for Child Health, Behavior and DevelopmentCleft lip and palate, single-suture craniosynostosis, deformational plagiocephaly, hemifacial microsomia and other craniofacial disordersThe Speltz lab focuses on the neurobehavioral development of children with craniofacial disorders, including cleft lip and palate, single-suture craniosynostosis, deformational plagiocephaly and hemifacial microsomia.
Webb LabCenter for Childhood Infections and Prematurity ResearchAutism, fragile X, developmental delay and other developmental disabilitiesThe Webb lab studies how infants, children and adults learn about their environment, and how that learning is impacted by developmental disruptions.
Weissman LabCenter for Childhood Infections and Prematurity ResearchE. coli, early-onset sepsisThe Weissman lab studies Escherichia coli and antibiotic resistance with the goal of improving treatment for early-onset sepsis and understanding how “superbugs” emerge and spread.

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