Seven great achievements in pediatric research in the past 40 y

The Next 7 Great Achievements in Pediatric Research

“…The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Pediatric Research's "7 Great Achievements in Pediatric Research" campaign identified research achievements in the past 40 years that have reduced morbidity and mortality and increased the quality of life worldwide. 2 These 7 success stories were chosen from responses in an open-ended survey of pediatric professional organization board members on the greatest successes in pediatric research and future opportunities (Table 1): preventing disease with life-saving immunizations, reducing sudden infant death with the Back to Sleep campaign, finding a cure for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, helping premature infants breathe with surfactant therapy, preventing HIV transmission from mother to infant, increasing the life expectancy for children with sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis, and saving lives with car seats and seat belts. These achievements, and many more beyond these 7, would not have been possible without pediatric research.…”

Evolutionary scalpels for dissecting tumor ecosystems

“…Treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) by combination therapy is one of the major breakthroughs in pediatric medicine in the late 20th century 28 . After a period in which single chemotherapies and palliation were dominant, a landmark study in the 1960s demonstrated the superiority of simultaneous high doses of several chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive agents (including methotrexate and vincristine, discussed above), administered as different combinations during induction, intensification, and maintenance treatment phases 65,66 .…”

“…We will describe a predominant school of thought, based on population genetic modeling, that champions hard-hitting administration of multiple therapies early in disease progression to prevent the evolution of resistance 24,26,27 . This strategy has seen outstanding success in some areas, particularly in transforming childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia from an immediately fatal diagnosis to one in which most patients are cured 28 . Some research, however, counsels caution in the enthusiastic extrapolation of this principle to all cancer types, suggesting that sometimes the best we may hope for is long-term restriction of a tumor to a small, nonthreatening volume 7,29 .…”

Specialty Grand Challenge In Pediatric Infectious Diseases

“…In recent years, decrease in global mortality and improvement in quality of life have been among the most significant progresses in child and adult health ( 1 ). In the field of pediatric infectious diseases, remarkable advances have been achieved in terms of reduction of incidence of childhood infectious diseases and associated morbidity and mortality.…”