The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee a three-year, $1 million Orphan Products Development grant to study infantile hemangiomas a vascular tumor of the skin or internal organs.
The unique, interdisciplinary, and multi-institutional study is led by co-principal investigators Beth Drolet, M.D., professor of dermatology and pediatrics, at the Medical College and medical director of the vascular anomalies and dermatology program at Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin; and Michael E. Kelly, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics - hematology/oncology.
This is a major achievement for Drs. Drolet and Kelly to receive an FDA grant to study a neglected but important health issue in infants, says Dean and Executive Vice President Michael Dunn, M.D. Dr. Drolet noted the increase in incidence of this disease and found a way to fund research to develop better treatment options.
The new research builds on earlier Medical College studies supported by Childrens Hospital and Health System Foundation, the Dermatology Foundation, Childrens Research Institute, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and the NOVO Foundation.
Partnering with Childrens Hospital, Childrens Research Institute, our patient families, and private donors in the community was truly inspiring, says Dr. Drolet. Their generosity and support has empowered our center to create a vision for our research that will change the way infants with this disorder are cared for around the country.
In 2004, Childrens Hospital and the Medical College created the Birthmarks and Vascular Anomalies Center to better care for infants with hemangiomas and other vascular anomalies. This interdisciplinary program, composed of surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists, treats patients from around the country.
Our preliminary studies show that the increased incidence of hemangiomas may be related to the increase in the rate of low bi
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| Contact: Toranj Marphetia toranj@mcw.edu 414-456-4700 Medical College of Wisconsin Source:Eurekalert |