Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA launches program in nanopediatrics

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Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA launches program in nanopediatrics

Program to explore use of nanotechnology in diagnostics, treatment

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/uoc--mch101608.php

Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA today announced the launch of the

Mattel UCLA NanoPediatrics Program, which will explore the future of

personalized medicine for children, including the opportunities and

risks involved. The program is one of the world's first dedicated

solely to nanomedicine and pediatric patients.

" Why develop a nanopediatrics program? Because children are not small

adults, " said Dr. McCabe, physician-in-chief of Mattel

Children's Hospital and founding director of the new program. " We

know that drugs affect children — they metabolize, excrete and may

even utilize, developmentally, specific receptors — differently than

adults.

" Unless children are included as a research priority for the

application of nanotechnology, then we will simply be applying

approaches developed for adults. This flawed strategy will place

children at risk, as opposed to a program in which children will be

the focus from the outset. "

Nanotechnology involves manipulating atoms and molecules to create

tiny devices, smaller than one-thousandth the diameter of a human

hair (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter). It is anticipated

that nanomedicine, fueled by nanotechnology, will enable more

personalized medical care that will be both predictive and

preventive.

While considerable attention has been paid to nanomedicine, UCLA's

nanopediatrics program, initially organized in May 2008, may be the

first initiative to examine the promises and risks of nanodiagnostics

and nanotherapeutics for children in a formal and organized manner.

Created thanks to a generous $1.8 million gift from the Mattel

Children's Foundation, the program will support a nanopediatrics

research core and pilot funding for projects that will potentially

enable investigators to obtain grants from the National Institutes of

Health.

" The Mattel Children's Foundation is excited to support this

groundbreaking program in nanopediatrics, which can potentially

revolutionize the research and treatment of illnesses that affect

young patients, " said Farr, chairman of the foundation and

chief financial officer of Mattel Inc. " Our philanthropic vision is

to make a meaningful difference, one child at a time, and we believe

that the nanopediatrics program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA

will bring new technologies and treatments to better the lives of

children battling for their health. "

Projects currently underway at UCLA include the development and

application of nanodiagnostic tools such as DNA-based newborn

screening tests for genetic abnormalities, the development of a new

generation of nanodevices for the treatment of children with genetic

diseases and cancer, and the investigation of the use of

nanoparticles for diagnostic imaging both during pregnancy and after

birth.

The Mattel UCLA NanoPediatrics Program will partner with the

California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA, an integrated

research center established in 2000 to encourage university

collaboration with industry and enable the rapid commercialization of

discoveries in nanosystems. For additional information, visit

www.nanopediatrics.ucla.edu.

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Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, one of the highest-rated children's

hospitals in Southern California, is a vital component of UCLA

Medical Center, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the third best

hospital in nation and best in the western United States for the past

19 years. Mattel Children's Hospital offers a full spectrum of

primary and specialized medical care for infants, children and

adolescents. The hospital's mission is to provide state-of-the-art

treatment for children in a compassionate atmosphere, as well as to

improve the understanding and treatment of pediatric diseases. For

more information, visit www.uclahealth.org/mattel.