Dr. Katherine High, of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,
Chosen on Basis of Patient-Oriented Research
PHILADELPHIA, June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Katherine A. High, M.D., director of
hematology research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, has been named
a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator. Dr. High is one of
12 physician-scientists recently selected by the prestigious research
organization for major accomplishments in patient-oriented research.
"We are extremely pleased and proud of the fact that one of our physicians
was honored by one of the world's leading biomedical research institutions,"
said Steven M. Altschuler, M.D., president and chief executive officer of The
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "This appointment recognizes Dr. High's
pioneering achievements in advancing gene therapy, a novel field of medicine."
Dr. High is internationally prominent for her studies of the molecular
biology of the inherited bleeding disorder hemophilia. Over the past decade,
she has investigated a gene transfer approach to treating hemophilia B, the
form of hemophilia caused by a deficiency of blood clotting factor IX. That
approach holds the potential of treating human disease at a fundamental level,
by delivering therapeutic genes directly into a patient's cells.
In 1999, Dr. High's research team showed that gene therapy could achieve
long-term improvement in dogs having naturally occurring hemophilia. Based on
these studies, she and her collaborators have undertaken human gene therapy
trials seeking to improve blood clotting in patients with severe hemophilia B.
Even small increases in clotting factor in a patient's blood can improve
hemophilia from a severe form to a much milder form, and result in great
improvements in quality of life.
As an attending hematologist at Children's Hospital, Dr. High will
continue to work at the Hospital and will become an employee of HHMI, which
will provide a research budget of up to $1 million per year, plus funding for
laboratory space. Dr. High will remain a professor of Pediatrics at the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
After graduating from Harvard College and the University of North Carolina
School of Medicine, Dr. High completed her residency at North Carolina
Memorial Hospital, followed by a fellowship in hematology at Yale University
School of Medicine. She was on the medical staff of Yale-New Haven Hospital,
and then directed the Clinical Coagulation Laboratory at the University of
North Carolina Hospitals before coming to The Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia in 1992. She leads an NIH-funded laboratory and is active in
many scientific societies, particularly the American Society of Hematology,
the American Society for Gene Therapy and the International Society on
Thrombosis and Hemostasis.
Established in 1953, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute is a nonprofit
medical research organization that currently supports approximately
325 investigators throughout the United States. Based in Chevy Chase,
Maryland, the Institute conducts medical research and supports science
education in the United States and biomedical scientists in other countries.
The most recent group of 12 investigators was chosen because their combination
of scientific expertise and medical training holds great potential for
translating basic science discoveries into useful medical treatments.
Founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital, The Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia is ranked today as the best pediatric hospital in the
nation by a comprehensive Child magazine survey. Through its long-standing
commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of
pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives,
Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children
worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the
country, ranking second in National Institutes of Health funding. In
addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have
brought the 381-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children
and adolescents from before birth through age 19. For more information, visit
http://www.chop.edu.
CONTACT: John Ascenzi of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,
+1-215-590-7332, or Ascenzi@email.chop.edu.
SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.chop.edu
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/gh/cnoc/comp/159681.html
CONTACT:
John Ascenzi of The Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia, +1-215-590-7332, or Ascenzi@email.chop.edu
|
