TEXAS CHILDREN'S LIVER CENTER
Liver disease research

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Included in Texas Children's Liver Center is a comprehensive research component staffed by distinguished researchers dedicated to studying pediatric hepatology issues. Research initiatives focus on treatments and causes of childhood liver disease, improving medical treatments and identifying specific post-transplant problems at an early age.

Because of its comprehensive program and affiliation with the renowned Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Liver Center receives funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for pediatric liver disease and gastroenterology research. Our program is the only program in the South to receive funding from the NIH.

Research highlights

• Children who receive liver transplants are at particular risk for infectious diseases because their immune systems are suppressed. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) are major causes of mortality in these patients. Researchers at Texas Children's Liver Center and the International Center for Cell and Gene Therapy are developing cell-based immunotherapy protocols to restore patients' immune responses to these two viruses in a natural and nontoxic way.

• Liver tumors from institutions throughout the country are sent to Texas Children's Liver Center for expert review, classification and correlation with therapeutic regimens. The tumors also are examined in Texas Children's Pathology department for molecular genetic abnormalities.

• The nurses and nurse practitioners of the Liver Center add human dimension to cellular research by studying parental and patient anxiety and coping skills during these very serious chronic illnesses and conditions. Such quality-of-life studies help improve the day-to-day treatment and care of children with liver disease.

• Many pediatric liver diseases, including cholestatic disorders, are treated with a safe, natural compound – ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Texas Children's scientists are determining how bile acid works, which will lead to better understanding of the drug and new treatment methods.

• The causes of many pediatric liver diseases are unknown, but understanding those causes is a primary goal of Texas Children's Liver Center. To discover why children develop liver diseases, researchers are examining genetic and metabolic disturbances, as well as abnormalities in basic liver function.