Kansas City,
31
July
2019
|
23:38 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

McLaughlin Selected as Neurorehabilitation and Restorative Training Network K12 Scholar on Grant from NIH/NICHD

Study title: Precision medicine in pediatric patients with Cerebral Palsy

Matthew J. McLaughlin, MD, Pediatric Physical Medicine/Rehabilitation, has been selected as a Neurorehabilitation and Restorative Training Network (NRNTN) K12 Scholar on a two-year, $250,000 grant from the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NIH/NICHD).

Dr. McLaughlin and his study team will be working to improve the understanding of baclofen metabolism, distribution and response in pediatric patients with Cerebral Palsy as a part of the GOLDILOKs framework developed by Clinical Pharmacology. Baclofen is the most commonly prescribed oral medication for spasticity, but little is known about its efficacy or distribution into the central nervous system.

This study, called “Precision medicine in pediatric patients with Cerebral Palsy,” looks at plasma to CSF levels to determine how much baclofen crosses the blood-brain barrier and also correlates plasma concentrations to how much clinical response is seen.

“My long-term goal is to establish an independent precision medicine-based research program that improves functional outcomes in neurorehabilitation patients by investigating inter-individual differences in dose-exposure-response relationships,” said Dr. McLaughlin. “This is the first study to utilize the innovative approach of linking precision medicine to corresponding functional outcomes in neurorehabilitation patients. These aims, conducted in independent cohorts of children, construct a model that allows improved dosing recommendations for pediatric patients with functional impairments, ultimately improving the way in which providers prescribe therapeutic interventions for patients requiring neurorehabilitation.”

Steve Leeder, PharmD, PhDSue Rahman, PharmD, and Andrea Gaedigk, PhD, are co-investigators on the project.

About Us

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.