The Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital contributes to fundamental research

The Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, established in 2002 within the Sheba Medical Center, makes important contributions to fundamental research into pediatric diseases, including the following:

• Genetic classification of kidney cancers in children
  Wilms’ tumor is a cancer of the kidneys that typically occurs in children. The Pediatric Stem Cell Research Institute and Division of Pediatric Nephrology of the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital helped improve the understanding of the role played by RNA in the formation of these tumors through its work on a statistical study and classification of the heterogeneity of cases. Read the full study

• Detecting and curing the herpesvirus human cytomegalovirus
  The herpesvirus human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common intra-uterine infection in developed countries, with an incidence of 0.5–1% of live births. It is also the most common non-genetic risk factor for congenital hearing loss and neurodevelopmental consequences, including epilepsy. While researching a method to detect traces of the virus using imagery of a fetus’ brain, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit of the Emond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital confirmed the efficiency of a well-known molecule, valganciclovir, to fight the virus. Read the full study