Blaschke Lab
The overall research goal for work in the Molecular Microbiology Laboratory is to develop PCR-based molecular testing that will aid us in understanding the pathogen-based epidemiology of invasive bacterial and viral disease in children. By developing and using molecular-based methods for detection of pathogens, we have the opportunity to expand our knowledge to include both culture-positive and culture-negative manifestations of many disease entities, such as pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.
Bonkowsky Lab
The Bonkowsky lab studies mechanisms and diseases in neurodevelopment. Our focus is on understanding the genetics and logic of brain connectivity; and on studies of diseases of development, particularly prematurity, hypoxia, and leukodystrophies.
Butterfield Lab
The Utah Program for Inherited Neuromuscular Disorders (UPIN) maintains a unique relationship with both the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah and the Primary Children’s Hospital. This collaboration allows our clinical staff, faculty, and investigators to pursue productive clinical and research initiative that seek to maintain innovative healthcare standards.
Fung Lab
The Fung Lab devised a mouse model of IUGR mimicking human placental insufficiency, which is the most common cause of IUGR, and has spent the last decade using a combined cellular, molecular, and neurobehavioral approach to understand altered embryonic hippocampal neurogenesis as the basis for learning and memory deficits in IUGR mouse offspring.
Joss-Moore Lab
The Joss-Moore Lab studies the effects of poor fetal growth on the molecular mechanisms predisposing to neonatal lung disease and adult-onset obesity. Our primary focus is the interaction between the epigenetic regulation of gene expression and lipid metabolism.
Kirchhoff Lab
The Kirchhoff Research Group has a collective goal of understanding and improving the health of pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer survivors. Using the definition from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), we define a cancer survivor as any person diagnosed with cancer from the time of diagnosis until the end of life.
We aim to understand survivors’ health care costs, quality of life, and other outcomes with the goal of using this information to design interventions to support and educate cancer survivors.
Lai Lab
Our research laboratory study rare inherited metabolic disorders like Classic Galactosemia, Phosphoglucomutase I deficiency, and Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase deficiency, with an overall goal to improve the quality of life for the patients. We aim to accomplish this through combined novel therapeutic development and basic science investigations. The former includes modalities ranging from small molecule compounds to gene/mRNA therapy. Recently, we have also taken approaches like drug-repurposing to expedite our pace of discovery. In addition to translational research, we perform basic research studies to advance our understanding of the pathophysiology of diseases using relevant animal models and cell models derived from the patients.
Schiffman Lab
The Schiffman Lab studies pediatric hereditary cancer syndromes with a special interest in genetic susceptibility to childhood cancers. The lab also investigates molecular changes in leukemia and Ewing's sarcoma, and the germline genetic variation that gives rise to childhood tumors.
Yost Lab
Led by Dr. H. Joseph Yost, PhD, a Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy and Pediatrics, the lab's long-term research goal is to understand the genes, molecules and developmental mechanisms that regulate the assignment of different cell identities in functionally appropriate positions in the developing vertebrate embryo, and to utilize this knowledge for the advancement of human medicine.