Chevalier Recieves RO3 Grant for Study of Eosinophilic Esophagitis
Rachel Chevalier, MD, Gastroenterology, was recently awarded a $150,000 R03 grant from the National Institutes of Health for research on eosinophilic esophagitis.
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, inflammatory disease affecting thousands of children each year leading to food aversion, failure to thrive, esophageal stricturing, and the need for long-term health care. Dr. Chevalier’s “Drug releasing microdiscs for esophageal drug delivery” study will investigate the properties of current empiric therapies and use that knowledge to develop a microscale polymer disc (microdiscs) designed to improve residence time of drug therapy in the esophagus. The prolonged residence time of the mucoadhesive discs will be expected to improve bioavailability, which decreases patient exposure to steroids, decreases costs and opens new possibilities for other pharmaceutical treatments with fewer side effects to be delivered in the same manner.
Children’s Mercy Kansas City is an independent, non-profit, 390-bed pediatric health system, providing over half a million patient encounters each year for children from across the country. Children’s Mercy is ranked by U.S. News & World Report in all ten specialties. We have received Magnet® recognition five times for excellence in nursing services. In affiliation with the University of Missouri-Kansas City, our faculty of nearly 800 pediatric specialists and researchers is actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research and educating the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. The Children’s Mercy Research Institute (CMRI) integrates research and clinical care with nationally recognized expertise in genomic medicine, precision therapeutics, population health, health care innovation and emerging infections. In 2021 the CMRI moved into a nine-story, 375,000-square-foot space emphasizing a translational approach to research in which clinicians and researchers work together to accelerate the pace of discovery that enhances care.