Through research, we can discover innovative treatments, therapies and devices that will improve patient care and outcomes, essentially changing the way we treat childhood disease.
Pediatric and adult medical genetics
There are many things about you or your child’s genetics that you already know: Your child may have your eye color, and you may be tall like your father. Our genetic research studies help unravel the mysteries of your DNA, so we can determine the exact causes of diseases and understand your personal health risk factors.
With the participation of people like you in our groundbreaking research, we aim to:
- Pinpoint the causes of chronic conditions and rare diseases. For some patients, the cause of their disease is unknown. For others, common conditions – like diabetes or allergies – are hard to predict and treat because of individual differences. Mapping individual genetic codes can help us determine the cause and find effective treatments.
- Diagnose congenital disorders. Birth defects are often rare and hard to diagnose. But with genomic research, we have greater chances of correctly diagnosing and understanding birth defects and treating them effectively.
- Predict health risks. By mapping the genetic code of thousands of patients, we can learn more about who is at risk for certain diseases and personalize the right kind and dose of medicine.
- Individualize treatment. Looking at a person's genetic code,researchers can determine how to personalize treatment.
As part of Inova's care and services, your child may have the opportunity participate in clinical trials that address a variety of conditions.
Cancer clinical trials
Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital is the only member location in Northern Virginia of the Children’s Oncology Group, a clinical trials group supported by the National Cancer Institute. We also conduct numerous clinical trials for pediatric cancer patients.