Partners Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center
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Pediatric MS Research
RESEARCH CONDUCTED AT THE PARTNERS PEDIATRIC MS CENTER:
- Much more research is needed to better understand the impact and causes of childhood onset demyelinating diseases. At the Partners Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center, we are conducting research which includes a search for genes that predispose children to MS and biological markers in the blood that can distinguish various forms of MS. We are conducting active projects to study the impact of MS on vision, childhood development and quality of life. Using clinical and MRI measures, we assess the effects of treatment on slowing the disease course in children.
- We are involved in several collaborative research studies including a Longitudinal Pediatric MS study conducted with the National Network of Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence and studies with International Pediatric MS Study Group.
You may be asked if you would like to participate in some of our research studies. Participation is not mandatory for your child's care. For more information about our research studies, or to enroll your child, please call (617) 726-2664.
Some of the questions that our research studies ask are:
- 1. Why does MS occur in children?
- 2. Is MS the same in adults and children?
- 3. What are the best treatments for MS in children?
- 4. How does MS affect children's development?
- 5. How does MS affect mood and school performance in children?
- 6. Is there a blood test for MS in children?
- 7. Is there a gene that prediposes children to develop MS?
Below is a list of our recent publications and reviews on MS and demyelinating disorders in children:
Disease-modifying therapy of pediatric multiple sclerosis. Chitnis T. Neurotherapeutics. 2013 Jan;10(1):89-96. PMCID: PMC23224690
Increased Th17 response to
myelin peptides in pediatric MS. Vargas-Lowy D, Kivisakk P, Gandhi R,
Raddassi K, Soltany P, Gorman MP, Khoury SJ, Chitnis T. Clin Immunol. 2012 Dec
28;146(3):176-184. PMCID: PMD23352968
Antibody response to common viruses and human leukocyte antigen-DRB1 in pediatric multiple sclerosis. Waubant E, Mowry EM, Krupp L, Chitnis T, Yeh EA, Kuntz N, Ness J, Belman A, Milazzo M, Gorman M, Weinstock-Guttman B, Rodriguez M, James IA. Mult Sclero. 2012 Dec 11. PMCID: PMC23232601
Cognitive impairment occurs in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis: results from a United States network. Julian L, Serafin D, Charvet L, Ackerson J, Benedict R, Braaten E, Brown T, O’Donnell E, Parrish J, Preston T, Zaccariello M, Belman A, Chitnis T, Gorman M, Ness J, Patterson M, Rodriguez M, Waubant E, Weinstock-Guttman B, Yeh A, Krupp LB; Network of Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence. J Child Neurol. 2013 Jan;28(1):102-107. Epub 2012 Nov 15. PMCID: PMD23155206
Pathogenesis of pediatric multiple sclerosis. Wargas-Lowy D, Chitnis T. J Child Neurol. 2012 Nov;27(11):1394-407. Epub 2012 Sep 5. PMCID: PMC22952316
Diffusion tensor analysis of pediatric multiple sclerosis and clinically isolated syndromes. Vishwas MS, Healy BC, Pienaar R, Gorman MP, Grant PE, Chitnis T. ANJR Am J Neuroadiol. 2012 Aug 2. PMCID: PMC22859275
Evaluation of new and existing therapeutics for pediatric MS. Chitnis T, S. Tenembaum, B. Banwell, L. Krupp, D. Pohl, K. Rostasy, E.A. Yeh, O. Bykova, E. Wassmer, M. Tardieu, A. Kornberg, A. Ghezzi and for the International Pediatric MS Study Group.. Multiple Sclerosis. 2012 Jan;18(1):116-27. Epub 2011 Dec 6. PMCID: PMD 22146610
Daclizumab use in patients with pediatric multiple sclerosis. Gorman MP, Tillema JM, Ciliax AM, Guttmann CR, Chitnis T. Arch Neurol. 2012 Jan;69(1):78-81.
Consensus statement: evaluation of new and existing therapeutics for pediatric multiple sclerosis.
Chitnis T, Tenembaum S, Banwell B, Krupp L, Pohl D, Rostasy K, Yeh E, Bykova O, Wassmer E, Tardieu M, Kornberg A, Ghezzi A. Mult Scler. 2011 Dec 6.
Gestational vitamin D and the risk of multiple sclerosis in offspring. Mirzaei F, Michels KB, Munger K, O'Reilly E, Chitnis T, Forman MR, Giovannucci E, Rosner B, Ascherio A. Ann Neurol. 2011 Jul;70(1):30-40. doi: 10.1002/ana.22456.
Common viruses associated with lower pediatric multiple sclerosis risk. Waubant E, Mowry EM, Krupp L, Chitnis T, Yeh EA, Kuntz N, Ness J, Chabas D, Strober J, McDonald J, Belman A, Milazzo M, Gorman M, Weinstock-Guttman B, Rodriguez M, Oksenberg JR, James JA; US Pediatric MS Network. Neurology. 2011 Jun 7;76(23):1989-95.
Pediatric multiple sclerosis. Chitnis T, Krupp L, Yeh A, Rubin J, Kuntz N, Strober JB, Chabas D, Weinstock-Guttmann B, Ness J, Rodriguez M, Waubant E. Neurol Clin. 2011 May;29(2):481-505.
Multiple sclerosis therapies in pediatric patients with refractory multiple sclerosis. Yeh EA, Waubant E, Krupp LB, Ness J, Chitnis T, Kuntz N, Ramanathan M, Belman A, Chabas D, Gorman MP, Rodriguez M, Rinker JR 2nd, Weinstock-Guttman B; National Network of Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence. Arch Neurol. 2011 Apr;68(4):437-44. Epub 2010 Dec 13. PMCID: PMD 21149803
Treatment of multiple sclerosis in children and adolescents. Kuntz NL, Chabas D, Weinstock-Guttman B, Chitnis T, Yeh EA, Krupp L, Ness J, Rodriguez M, Waubant E; Network of US Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Centers. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2010 Mar;11(4):505-20. Review. PMCID: PMD 20163265
Younger children with MS have a distinct CSF inflammatory profile at disease onset. Chabas D, Ness J, Belman A, Yeh EA, Kuntz N, Gorman MP, Strober JB, De Kouchkovsky I, McCulloch C, Chitnis T, Rodriguez M, Weinstock-Guttman B, Krupp LB, Waubant E; US Network of Pediatric MS Centers of Excellence. Neurology. 2010 Feb 2;74(5):399-405. PMCID: PMD 20124205
Tract Based Analysis of callosal Projection and Association Pathways in Pediatric Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Vishwas M, Chitnis T, Pienaar R, Healy BC, Grant PE. AJNR. Am J Neuroradiol. 2010 Jan;31(1):121-8. PMCID: PMD 19850763
Prenatal and perinatal factors and risk of MS. Gardner H, Munger KL, Chitnis T, Michels, KB, Spiegelman D, Ascherio A. Epidemiology. (2009) Jul;20(4):611-8 PMCID: PMD 19333127
Demographics of Pediatric-onset Multiple Sclerosis in an MS Center population from the Northeastern United States. Chitnis T, Glanz B, Jaffin S, Healy BC. Mult Scler. 2009 May;15(5):627-31. Epub 2009 Mar PMCID: PMD19299440
Cyclophosphamide therapy in pediatric multiple sclerosis. Makhani N, Gorman MP, Branson H, Stazzone L, Banwell B, Chitnis T. (2009) Neurology. ePub May 13.
Sensitivity vs. specificity: progress and pitfalls in defining MRI criteria for Pediatric MS. Chitnis T, Pirko I. (2009) Sensitivity versus Specificity: Neurology. (2009) Editorial, Mar 17;72(11):952-3. PMCID: PMD19289735
Increased relapse rate in pediatric compared to adult-onset multiple sclerosis. Gorman MP, Healy BC, Polgar-Turcsanyi M, Chitnis T. Arch Neurol. 2009 Jan;66(1):54-9. PMCID: PMD19139299
Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis; in Inflammatory and autoimmune disorders of the nervous system in children. Tenembaum S, Chitnis T. (2008) Eds. Russell RC, Vincent A. Chapter. In press.
T cell based Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis in Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutics. Chitnis T, Khoury SJ (2007) Eds. Cohen J and Rudick R. 3rd Edition. Chapter.
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Tenembaum S, Chitnis T, Ness J, Hahn JS (2007) International Pediatric MS Study Group. Neurology. Apr 17;68(16 Suppl 2):S23-36. Review. PMCID: PMD 17438235
Challenges in the classification of pediatric multiple sclerosis and future directions. Belman AL, Chitnis T, Renoux C, Waubant E; International Pediatric MS Study Group. (2007) Neurology. 68(16 Suppl 2):S70-4. Review
Treatment of pediatric multiple sclerosis and variants. Pohl D, Waubant E, Banwell B, Chabas D, Chitnis T, Weinstock-Guttman B, Tenembaum S. (2007) International Pediatric MS Study Group. (2007) Neurology. 68(16 Suppl 2):S54-65. Review
Self-antigen tetramers discriminate between myelin autoantibodies to native or denature protein. O’Connor KC, McLaughlin KA, DeJager PL, Chitnis T, Bettelli E, Xu C, Robinson WH, Cherry SV, Bar-Or A, Banwell B, Fukaura H, Tenmbaum S, Wong SJ, Tavakoli NP, Idrissova Z, Viglietta, V, Rostasy K, Pohl D, Dale RC, Freedman, M, Steinman L, Khoury SJ, Weiner HL, Kuchroo VK, Hafler DA, Wucherpfennig K. (2007) Nat. Med. Feb;13(2):211-7.
Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis. Chitnis T (2006) The Neurologist. Nov;12(6):299-310. Review.
