Children's Memorial Institute for Education and Research

Established in 1986 as a formalized basic science research program, CMIER is the research arm of Children’s Memorial Hospital, the pediatric teaching hospital for Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and one of only five research institutions in the country devoted only to pediatric medicine. CMIER is also one of 13 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes of Feinberg. All principal investigators at CMIER are full-time faculty members at Feinberg.

From its inception, foremost in the minds of CMIER’s founders was the eventual construction of a pediatric research center to house CMIER and its programs. In 1995, CMIER’s founders realized their dream when the Children’s Research Center was built. Guided by founding director, Bernard L. Mirkin, PhD, MD, and aided by extraordinary institutional and philanthropic investment, CMIER’s early development was astonishing. CMIER was expected to be at full capacity within 10 years. But the fast pace and growth of our research endeavors exceeded our best estimates, and the Center’s 71,000 square feet of space filled within five years. In just a decade, CMIER went from novice institute with limited space, few investigators, and little funding to a research center with sophisticated programs and stellar scientists whose investigations attract millions in prestigious federal research dollars. Today, the Center’s laboratories and shared research spaces include:

• A transgenic and targeted mutagenesis facility,

• An automated DNA sequencing facility,

• Instruments for gene chip analysis and flow cytometry, and

• A microscope imaging facility with a multiphoton confocal microscope for visualizing signal transduction and gene regulation in living cells.

Construction of a new addition to the research center (Phase II) began in August 2002 and is now complete. Phase II of the facility was ready for occupancy at the end of December, 2003, adding another 52,000 square feet of laboratory space to the existing 71,000 square feet of Phase I. The new space will house between 12 and 14 investigator-led teams of researchers who will conduct clinically relevant basic science studies in priority areas of pediatric research, including developmental biology, disease pathogenesis, neurobiology, genetics, and child health. In addition to the 55 new benches in the laboratory, Phase II also adds three medium sized conference rooms, shared procedure and cold rooms and increased equipment space for large shared use items. A ribbon cutting ceremony marking the completion of Phase II is scheduled for January 26, 2004, at which time our generous family of supporters will be invited to tour this state-of-the-art facility.

Upon completion of Phase II construction, renovation of the existing Phase I facility will begin in early 2004 and should be completed by August. The renovation will expand the Pritzker Library, administrative offices, and shared research support facilities. In all, the expansion of the Children’s Research Center will significantly enhance the capacity for research at CMIER.

As a powerful symbol of CMIER’s growing stature in the national scientific community, external funding for research has almost tripled since the original laboratory opened, growing from $6.4 million in 1996 to $18 million in the previous fiscal year, with almost two-thirds of funding coming from the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies.

In addition, clinical research is receiving increasing support through the General Clinical Research Center of Northwestern University, one of only 80 NIH-funded clinical research centers in the country. Children’s Memorial, the pediatric satellite of this center, receives funding to support investigator-initiated research. The number of Children’s Memorial investigators using the center quadrupled last year and outpatient research visits increased from 21 to 250.

Strengthening the Research Enterprise

CMIER has taken several important steps to further its vision of becoming a preeminent child health research organization dedicated to improving the health of children in Chicago and nationwide.

Among the most significant recent developments was the appointment of prominent cancer biologist Mary J.C. Hendrix, PhD, who will serve as the new president and scientific director of CMIER. Dr. Hendrix, who joined the institute in January 2004, was previously head of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at The University of Iowa, Iowa City. She is a gifted researcher whose laboratory has uncovered key findings that increase understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer metastasis, and she has published more than 150 scientific papers and numerous books. She also has been an energetic advocate for science and science policy on a national level, including testimony before the U.S. Congress to obtain increased funding for biomedical research and stem cell research. Dr. Hendrix’s leadership will create new opportunities for CMIER and take the research enterprise to the next level of excellence.

A second critical recruitment was that of Xiobin Wang, MD, MPH, ScD, as director of the Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program, one of the five major programs of CMIER. Dr. Wang conducts research into the molecular epidemiology of pre-term births, particularly the interaction between genes and the environment. Her work is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the March of Dimes Foundation. Dr. Wang arrives in January 2004, and will be installed as the first Mary Ann and J. Milburn Smith Director of Child Health Research.

In addition, twelve talented new researchers joined CMIER this past year, considerably enhancing the program. The institute recruited its first three investigators in the Human and Molecular Genetics Program, five new investigators in Developmental Systems Biology, one in Neurobiology, and two in Disease Pathogenesis, including the first full-time stem cell biology investigator.

These critical recruitments represent CMIER’s entry into a new phase of growth and development and are a testament to the growing prestige of the institution nationally. CMIER’s ability to attract leading investigators will considerably advance its goal of ensuring that scientific knowledge is translated into tangible and effective clinical uses for the benefit of all children.

The Future of CMIER: Striving to Become a Mature Research Institute

Milestones and accomplishments of the past eight years presented Children’s Memorial Hospital and the Board of Directors an opportune time to reflect on CMIER’s progress and reassess our vision. Following intensive assessment and planning, the CMIER Board approved a five-year strategic plan highlighting the need to integrate the various basic and clinical research efforts going on throughout the institute, from the downtown Chicago and Evanston campuses of Northwestern University, to Lincoln Park, and community partners.

The proposed strategic plan also identifies five areas of investigation and calls for further expansion of the Children’s Research Center. The plan is based on a consensus of the academic and administrative leadership of Children’s Memorial, with significant input from the academic leadership at Northwestern University, and will help develop CMIER into a mature research institute.

The Five Research Programs

From the beginning, CMIER has followed a carefully designed plan to develop expertise in the science of pediatric disease and normal and abnormal development. To encourage a synergy of ideas among investigators in various disciplines, CMIER’s work is organized around five interdisciplinary research programs set forth in the new strategic plan:

(1) Developmental Systems Biology

(2) Neurobiology

(3) Disease Pathogenesis

(4) Child Health Research

(5) Human and Molecular Genetics

Some of these programs are well established and have received extensive external funding. Others represent new research areas identified as critical to the integration of basic science advances with clinical initiatives. The recruitment of research leadership and junior faculty members and the planned expansion of laboratory facilities at Children’s Research Center will accommodate the growth and future development of these CMIER priorities.