The National Institutes of Health announced Friday that it has set aside millions in funding for research investigating why some kids are at high risk of developing a severe complication tied to COVID-19.
Many kids infected with the coronavirus only experience mild symptoms, but some go on to develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome or MIS-C. The condition can inflict severe organ damage, including liver, kidney and brain injuries.
The NIH said it will award up to $20 million to successful research proposals over four years.
“We urgently need methods to distinguish children at high risk for MIS-C from those unlikely to experience major ill effects from the virus, so that we can develop early interventions to improve their outcomes, ” Diana W. Bianchi, MD, director of NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said Aug. 7.
The new endeavor—labeled Predicting Viral-Associated Inflammatory Disease Severity in Children with Laboratory Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence (PreVAIL kIds)—is under the umbrella of the NIH Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative. The latter is geared toward quick development, commercialization, and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing.
PreVAIL kIds hopes to understand the underlying factors that contribute to symptoms in children with the virus and how they may relate to MIS-C. Studies involved in the initiative will look at genes, biomarkers and immune system responses in pediatric cases. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will also be used to organize data, the NIH said.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.