Scottish Rite For Children has quite a national … no, make that an international … reputation as one of the nation’s leading pediatric orthopedic centers. And this reputation has not gone unnoticed by the Department of Defense.
As part of the Department’s Neurofibromatosis Research Program, Scottish Rite has just been awarded a $100,000 grant “to investigate new treatments for bone fractures in children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (aka NF1).
An offshoot of this “uncommon genetic disorder associated with pediatric and adult tumors” is that “some children with NF1 develop orthopedic condition requiring treatment, such as scoliosis and persistent bone fractures.”
With this in mind, Scottish Rite’s former Assistant Chief of Staff Dr. B. Stephens Richards “co-led a clinical trial testing the INFUSE graft to treat persistent fractures in children with NF1.”
While surgery is currently “the best option,” Scottish Rite researchers are “dedicated to developing new, less invasive treatment methods.”
While currently there are “several drugs that are either approved by the FDA or currently in clinical trial to treat tumor manifestations of NF1,” orthopedic condition treatments still don’t exist.
Leading up to today’s news, Molecular Genetics/lead investigator of the study Dr. Jonathan Rios said, “All of our team’s efforts have led to this moment, where we can now test new therapies in the lab. And by evaluating therapies already in clinical trials for other aspects of NF1, we hope to rapidly translate the most promising of these therapies to treat fractures in children with NF1.”
As a result of the grant and Jonathan’s work, Scottish Rite for Children Chief of Staff Dr. Daniel Sucato explained, “Dr. Rios’ research will allow us to advance how we care for children with NF1 suffering from persistent fractures and will improve the lives of children with NF1 at Scottish Rite and around the world.”
Scottish Rite for Children Basic Science Research Director Dr. Carol Wise added, “Dr. Rios’ research exemplifies Scottish Rite’s reputation as an international leader in translational research that will bring new treatments to children for years to come.”
Once again, Scottish Rite is a shining star in the North Texas collection of outstanding healthcare institutions.
* Photo provided by Scottish Rite for Children