AnnualReport2020

Examples of Shriners Hospitals’ Innovative Research Initiatives Shriners Hospitals for Children

Collaborating to Improve Lives To help young people struggling with orthopaedic and neuromuscular conditions, as well as spinal cord injuries, Shriners Hospitals for Children and the Georgia Institute of Technology have launched an ambitious collaborative research effort to address these conditions, including the development of devices to facilitate limb movement and function. The new research affiliation brings together the clinical, surgical, and scientific expertise of Shriners Hospitals for Children physicians and researchers with Georgia Tech’s cutting-edge expertise in biomedical engineering, robotics and device development. The coordinated effort also will leverage the two organizations’ proficiency in big data and artificial intelligence tools for personalized medicine. Several joint projects already are underway, including the development of a wearable customized robotic exoskeleton with voice recognition for children with cervical spine injury. The system is designed to translate

a condition, and lessen its impact on a child. This research can bring hope to countless children the world over – opening the door for a life full of promise and possibilities. This genetics-based approach to medical care, known as precision medicine, is becoming a reality, and one day will be the norm. With the establishment of its Genomics Institute in Tampa, Florida, Shriners Hospitals for Children has taken a major step toward the goal of understanding the specific – and individual – genetic causes of orthopaedic conditions and disabilities, such as clubfoot, scoliosis independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution, have entered into a research affiliation agreement for this project. Investigators at Jackson will provide expertise on genomic data analysis tools and specialized knowledge bases and algorithms, and will create models to validate new discoveries and potential treatments for the targeted conditions. Shriners Hospitals is proud to be at the forefront of this next major step toward bringing new hope and healing to children and families the world over. and osteogenesis imperfecta. Shriners Hospitals for Children and The Jackson Laboratory, an

is committed to conducting research that impacts and improves lives, as well as increases the worldwide body of medical and scientific knowledge. Here are just a few examples of current, and ongoing, efforts: The Genomics Institute The research programs department at Shriners Hospitals for Children has a long history of supporting talented basic and clinician scientists who make discoveries that ultimately change lives. Our new Genomics Institute takes our research to an even more personalized, patient- centric level that will lead to more individualized treatment options and improved outcomes.

The availability of individual genetic data can lead to identification of disease-related variations, or gene alterations, which can further lead to better ways to diagnose and treat

voice commands into actions, meaning the exoskeleton will

conform to the proper shape and posture of the fingers, so to speak, depending on the task. The idea is to

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