Lung Center

Thomas H. Shaffer, MS.E., Ph.D.
Director

Under the direction of Thomas H. Shaffer, MS.E, Ph.D., the Nemours Research Lung Center is taking a highly proactive role in developing and fostering opportunities for research in neonatal and pediatric lung disease for both academic scientists and medical clinicians alike. One of the most important goals of the Research Lung Center is the development of strong research ties between the Nemours Biomedical Research Department and the clinicians working at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, those at its clinical sites at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Main Line Health, and those working at Christiana Care Health Systems.

The Nemours Research Lung Center is currently involved in multiple research studies sponsored by Draeger Infant Medical Care (“The Infant Care Initiative”; “Evaluation of the JM103 Transcutaneous Jaundice Meter” ); Transonics Systems (“Evaluation of a Noninvasive Cardiac Output Monitor”); iNO Therapeutics (“Effect of iNO and iNO/heliox as therapies for decompression sickness in a model of rapid decompression from a hyperbaric environment”); Discovery Laboratories (“Efficacy of Surfaxin^® as an Anti-inflammatory Alternative to Conventional Surfactant Replacement Therapy”), the NIH (“Oxygen and Barotrauma Effects on Human Airway Epithelium”; “Evaluation of Mechanical Ventilation Strategies on Neonatal Tracheal Mechanics and Expression of Biomarker of Tissue Remodeling”) and The Nemours Foundation (“The role of the airway epithelium in the pathogenesis and treatment of chronic lung disease of infancy and bronchopulmonary dysplasia”).

Dr. Shaffer has a long history of funding with the NHLBI and the NIH. He currently serves as the Principal Investigator on NIH COBRE grant 1 P20 RR020173-01, a five-year $10 million dollar grant, which was awarded on 9/07/04 to support the development of the Nemours Center for Pediatric Research. Under the direction of Dr. Shaffer and N. Carolyn Schanen, M.D., Ph.D., five Target Investigators, Julia Barthold, M.D., Aaron Chidekel, M.D., Grace Hobson, Ph.D., Takeshi Tsuda, M.D. and Wenlan Wang, M.D., Ph.D., established laboratories, hired staff and began five individual research studies. Seed money has also been provided to Thomas L. Miller, Ph.D., for the development of data to support a potential COBRE project. Dr. Chidekel’s project, “Oxygen and Baratrauma Effects on Human Airway Epithelium,” will be performed by the Research Lung Center staff. Strong relationships with project mentors, collaborators, COBRE committees and other COBRE recipients were established to promote a rigorous mentoring program to aid these basic and physician scientists in their research efforts.

Peer Reviewed Articles

Selected Presentations

Contact Information:

Barbara E. Gray
Administrative Manager
Nemour Research Lung Center
Nemours Biomedical Research
Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
1600 Rockland Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19803

Get custom directions to this address

Phone: (302) 651-6837
Fax: (302) 651-6888