Pediatrics News and Research

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Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. The age limit of such patients ranges from birth to 18. In countries where the age of majority is 18, this age limit may be from birth to age 17 (such as in Canada). A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician.

Cell Study Challenges Long-Standing View That Individual Human Genomes Evolve Independently

Scientists at Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) have discovered that large pieces of DNA can transfer directly between human cells, and the DNA can persist and change how the recipient cell functions.

20 May 2026

Web-Based Platform Facilitates Chemical Structure Queries in Metabolomics

An international team led by researchers at University of California San Diego and University of California, Riverside has developed a free, web‑based platform designed to make public metabolomics data more accessible.

15 May 2026

Discovery of Heme Transport Pathway Solves Longstanding Red Blood Cell Enigma

Scientists have long been puzzled by how maturing red blood cells manage to produce all the hemoglobin they need to carry oxygen to tissues, even after shedding the vital structures they need to produce it.

25 Apr 2026

New MIND Tool Enables Precise Control of Complex Microbiomes

University of California San Diego researchers have developed a new tool for understanding and modifying any microbiome, including the human microbiome.

22 Apr 2026

New Gene-Editing Approach Eliminates Painful Crises in Sickle Cell Disease

New results from a clinical trial show promising outcomes for a gene-edited treatment for severe sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder with few curative options.

2 Apr 2026

Microglia Found to Drive New Neuron Growth in Adult Hippocampus

Breakthrough research from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is revealing how immune cells in the adult brain can regulate the generation of new neurons.

10 Feb 2026

Loss of Vitamin C Synthesis Protects Animals From Schistosomiasis

Researchers at the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) have found an advantage to vitamin C deficiency: defense against a significant parasitic disease.

31 Dec 2025

New Rat Study Reveals How Genetic Traits Ripple Through Social Microbiomes

The gut microbiome - made up of trillions of microbes in the digestive tract - is vital for digestion and overall health. Diet and medication shape these microbial ecosystems, but the contribution of genetics has been more difficult to ascertain.

22 Dec 2025

CRISPR Reveals Dark Genome Regions That Sense Cellular Mechanics

Researchers at Duke University used CRISPR technologies to discover previously unannotated stretches of DNA in the 'dark genome' that are responsible for controlling how cells sense and respond to the mechanical properties of their local environment.

12 Dec 2025

New Tool Maps Microbial Activity to Transform Gut Health Research

The gut microbiome is made up of trillions of microbes that play a vital role in keeping us healthy.  A disturbance in the balance of these microbes can contribute to a variety of health conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

22 Nov 2025

Genetic Insights Reveal Key Drivers of Bone Density in Children

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) revealed important genetic components that affect bone density in children and adolescents.

20 Nov 2025

Discovery Reveals How Microbes Evolve Rapidly Inside the Human Gut

Everywhere you go, you carry a population of microbes in your gastrointestinal tract that outnumber the human cells making up your body.

14 Oct 2025

Targeting Two Key Proteins to Weaken Pancreatic Cancer's Defenses

Indiana University School of Medicine scientists have identified a new way to weaken pancreatic cancer's defenses by targeting two key proteins that help the deadly disease resist treatment.

22 Sep 2025

Metastatic Lung Cancer Cells Cozy Up to Neurons and Form Synapses

Small cell lung cancer cells that metastasize to the brain cozy up to neurons and form working electrical connections, called synapses, according to an upcoming study led by Stanford Medicine researchers.

11 Sep 2025

Genetic Signatures of Neural Progenitor Cells Uncovered in the Adult Brain

For much of the 20th century it was thought that the adult brain was incapable of regeneration. This view has since shifted dramatically and neurogenesis – the birth of new neurons – is now a widely accepted phenomenon in the adult brain, offering promising avenues for treating many neurological conditions.

22 Aug 2025

New Computational Tool Reveals How Long Non-Coding RNAs Control Gene Expression

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) are a type of RNA molecule that do not carry instructions to make proteins. Instead, they influence how other genes are expressed.

6 Aug 2025

mRNA Vaccine Supercharges Immunotherapy Against Cancer

An experimental mRNA vaccine improved the tumor-fighting benefits of immunotherapy in a mouse model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their aim of generating a universal vaccination to “wake up” the immune system against cancer.

21 Jul 2025

Animal-Free 3D Fat-Immune Cell Model to Study Inflammation

Researchers developed a human adipocyte-macrophage co-culture model in GG hydrogels to study adipose tissue inflammation and test anti-inflammatory strategies.

3 Jul 2025

Study Finds Protein Cleavage Essential for Healthy Cilia and Cell Signaling

New research by Sumeda Nandadasa, PhD, reveals how a key protein associated with Meckel-Gruber syndrome, nephronophthisis, Joubert syndrome and other ciliopathies is cut in half to perform two separate functions, both of which are fundamental to the healthy development of children.

30 Jun 2025

Gene Editing Halts Symptoms of Rare Smooth Muscle Disease in Preclinical Study

Using gene editing in a preclinical model, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center blocked the symptoms of a rare smooth muscle disease before they developed.

25 Jun 2025