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The Colorado Child Health Research Institute (CCHRI) is celebrating a new group of pediatric investigators exploring topics such as fetal growth restriction, endometriosis, pulmonary hypertension and more. The CCHRI is also continuing to support six awardees in their second year of funding for the Research and Innovation Scholar Awards (RISA), which fund early-stage child health investigators who have demonstrated outstanding potential for an academic research career. You can read more about their research topics here.
Below are the new spring 2025 awardees.
Eileen Chang, PhD: Welch Family Pilot Award
“Elucidating the Role of Fetal Cardiomyocyte Contractile Function in Growth-Restricted Fetal Sheep”
Around 10% of pregnancies in the United States have reduced placental transport of nutrients and oxygen to the baby, which can lead to fetal growth restriction and low birth weight. Clinical studies of growth-restricted fetuses reveal impaired heart contractility, structural remodeling and long-term susceptibility to high blood pressure and heart diseases as children and adults. Dr. Chang’s preliminary data in the heart of the growth restricted fetal sheep showed lower expression of genes involved in calcium-handling and contractile proteins, suggesting compromised heart function compared to normally growing control fetuses. The research proposal aims to investigate how fetal growth restriction affects heart contractility by conducting functional studies using fetal heart cells and muscle fibers. The new interdisciplinary collaboration will provide novel insights into fetal growth-restriction-related cardiac dysfunction and discover new targeted therapeutic strategies. The Welch Family Pilot Award is made possible by generous funding from the Welch Family through the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.
Tricia Huguelet, MD: Children's Hospital Colorado - University of Colorado/School of Mines Collaboration Pilot Award
“Culturing Endometrial Organoids Towards Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms Driving Lesion Fibrosis in Endometriosis”
Dr. Huguelet is working in collaboration with Colorado School of Mines researchers Melissa Krebs, PhD, Associate Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Nikki Farnsworth, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Endometriosis is a painful condition affecting about 10% of women, and it occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus causing chronic pain, heavy bleeding and infertility in some cases. Current treatments, including hormone therapy and surgical removal of the tissue, are not cures and in many cases do not fully alleviate symptoms. A key feature of endometriosis is fibrosis, or scarring, of the tissue outside of the uterus, which is thought to be driven by a process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The goal of this project is to understand how changes in the surrounding tissue environment drive fibrosis in endometriosis. By studying lab grown endometrial tissue derived from patient samples, the team hopes to identify cellular processes that can be targeted with non-hormonal treatments to prevent fibrosis and treat the underlying cause of endometriosis symptoms.
Charles Simpkin, DO: Owen McKinnon Pilot Award for Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Research
“Advanced Echocardiographic Evaluation of Neonates with Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Intra-Atrial Shunts: A Pilot Study of 3-Dimensional Stroke Volumes and Blood Speckle Tracking”
Our team uses echocardiograms every day in the neonatal intensive care unit to look for pulmonary hypertension in babies. However, when a baby has a hole between the top chambers of the heart, the extra blood that flows across it can make it seem like the resistances in lungs are higher than they really are. This creates a risk of incorrect diagnoses and treatments plans. The goal of this study is to test new echocardiology technologies to more accurately measure the amount of blood that is crossing to the right side of the heart and evaluate blood flow patterns in the lungs in infants with pulmonary hypertension.
Hui Zhang, MD, PhD: Owen McKinnon Pilot Award for Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Research
“Mechanistic Insights into Epigenetic Inflammatory Memory and Its Role in Late-Onset Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension in High-Risk Infants”
Pediatric pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe condition with few treatment options, and early-life oxygen deprivation (perinatal hypoxia) is a major risk factor. Researchers believe that past inflammation leaves a long-term "memory" in lung blood vessel cells, making them more prone to severe inflammation when exposed to future stressors. By using advanced genetic, epigenetic and molecular techniques in animal models, researchers aim to understand how these inflammatory memories form, persist, recall and contribute to PH progression. The findings could help develop new treatments targeting these epigenetic changes to prevent or reduce the severity of PH in high-risk infants.
The Owen McKinnon Pilot Award for Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Research is made possible by generous funding from the Owen McKinnon family through the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation.
