Research at Nemours improves the health and health care of all children. By seeking new approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood diseases and educating the next generation of leaders in the fields of children’s and public health, Nemours is making a difference today and establishing the opportunities to make a difference well into the future.

Our research program continues to grow in size and scope. Clinical questions continue to drive our efforts. Our growing research capability is a critical benefit to our patients’ well-being.

Insights Into Osteogenesis Imperfecta

We’re actively engaged in research to better understand osteogenesis imperfecta and to develop new treatments for the disease. In partnership with the University of Delaware, Nemours received an Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (OIF) grant to study the effect of a daily vibration treatment on the bone health of children with brittle bone disease.

A second OIF grant is funding a partnership of local children’s hospitals, including Nemours, to evaluate the effect of diet on growth rates and bone mass in children with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Our Pediatric Engineering Research Lab (PERL) also is involved in researching devices and therapies that will assist and rehabilitate children with neuromuscular disabilities and orthopedic disorders like osteogenesis imperfecta. PERL’s staff of biomedical engineers and students work with various clinicians at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, to conceive and develop engineering solutions to medical problems. PERL also has affiliations with Drexel University and University of Delaware, and collaborates with a number of companies to manufacture and market devices conceived and developed at PERL.