Groundbreaking Pediatric Study Featured in Nature

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The January 2025 issue of Nature includes an article on the NIH-funded dGTEx project, titled, “The Human and Non-human Primate Developmental GTEx Projects.” It outlines the scope, vision, opportunities, and challenges of these projects, and NDRI is proud to be a lead collaborator.

“We are excited to be part of the dGTEx projects,” said Patrick Van Hoose, PhD, NDRI’s dGTEx Program Manager and a co-author of the Nature article. “There is a lack of information and study on how childhood development impacts gene expression and we are proud to play a large role in this effort to advance our understanding and treatment of childhood diseases.”

The Developmental Genotype-Tissue Expression (dGTEx) is a continuation of the original Genotype-Tissue Expression projects, this time extending GTEx across human developmental stages and species. The project aims to collect tissues and build gene expression profiles from at least 120 postmortem pediatric donors to better understand the impact of childhood development on gene expression.

A recognized leader in biospecimen procurement, preservation, and distribution, NDRI plays an integral role in dGTEx, sourcing tissues from pediatric donors through our partnerships with Organ Procurement Organizations and donors nationwide. As part of dGTEx, NDRI and its Procurement Partners established the pediatric Biospecimen Procurement Center (BPC), which provides a multi-institutional effort with extensive expertise in pediatric recoveries, research, pathology, imaging, and biobanking. This expertise is essential for providing well-annotated, suitable biospecimens to the dGTEx Laboratory Data Analysis Collection Center (LDACC) for cutting-edge experimental methodologies.

In order to advance current understandings of the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) of pediatric tissue donation, the dGTEx BPC also includes an ELSI study. This evaluates OPO staff and Family Decision Makers of both children that are deceased and children at a high-risk of mortality, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion to gain broad perspectives on ELSI factors for tissue donation.

BPC Partners:

• Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• University of Maryland
• Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital

LDACC Partners:

• Broad Institute
• Yale School of Medicine

Funding Institutions:

• National Human Genome Research Institute
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• National Institute of Mental Health
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

About NDRI

The National Disease Research Interchange is the nation’s leading source of human tissues, cells, and organs for scientific research. A not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1980, NDRI is funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, public and private foundations and organizations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations. NDRI is a 24/7 operation that partners with a nationwide network of over 130 tissue source sites (TSS), including organ procurement organizations (OPOs), tissue banks, eye banks, and hospitals. By serving as the liaison between procurement sources and the research community, NDRI is uniquely positioned to support breakthrough advances and discoveries that can affect advances in the treatment and cure of human diseases.