For more than two decades, Shriners Children’s Northern California and UC Davis Health have worked together to develop innovative treatments for a variety of pediatric conditions.
Together, we built the Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine (IPRM), a venture focused on research and advancements in pediatric conditions like spinal cord dysfunctions, orthopedic disorders and burn injuries. This collaboration has also contributed meaningfully to recognition for both organizations as leading U.S. orthopedic and urology treatment programs.
Located inside Shriners Children's Northern California on the UC Davis Health system campus, the IPRM attracts top physicians and physician scientists from around the world, all devoted to bringing discoveries from the research laboratory to the bedside. The knowledge they share and the breakthroughs that happen as a result of their hard work give comfort and hope to the families of the children we treat and to children around the world.
Some of the current questions IPRM is looking for answers to include:
- Do genetics play a role in the ability to fight disease?
- How does folate, a B vitamin, help prevent spina bifida?
- Can prescription drugs one day be used to prevent the development or the effects of cerebral palsy?
- Can genetic testing be used to determine the most effective drug therapies?
This partnership continues to thrive, as we share a distinct purpose: providing the specialty pediatric care children need to reach their full potential.
Current IPRM Research
Physicians and scientists in the IPRM are busy investigating numerous pediatric conditions, understanding genetic and environmental causes and developing new treatments for conditions in children.
Areas of current IPRM research include investigating the genetic causes of cleft lip, cleft palate and brain malformations. Their investigations have uncovered a genetic link to cleft lip and cleft palate in mice, which may lead to improved genetic testing of families at risk of having children with these disorders.
We do not know precisely when the answers to these and other questions will come, but we are confident that the research taking place today will positively impact the lives of children for generations.