Endocrinology Research
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Endocrinology researchers at Rady Children’s Health, Orange County (formerly CHOC) investigate diabetes, congenital hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency and more, helping children enjoy healthier and more active lives.
Why our endocrinology research matters
Endocrine disorders can affect children throughout their lives, impacting their physical and emotional health. While care has improved a lot over the years, families still need safer and better treatments. For more than 40 years, the Endocrine Research Program, part of the CHOC Research Institute at Rady Children’s Health, has helped lead the way. Our researchers have participated in government- and industry-sponsored clinical trials that have shaped everyday medical care. Through new discoveries, we’re working to make life easier for children with endocrine conditions.
Endocrine disorders we study
Our research efforts focus on a broad range of endocrine disorders, including:
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Congenital hypothyroidism
- Growth hormone deficiency
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
What makes our endocrinology research different?
Our research on children’s endocrine conditions stands out in several ways, including:
- A history of shaping the standard of care: Over the years, we’ve helped test many tools routinely used in diabetes care today. These include devices that track blood sugar throughout the day, advanced insulin pumps and new medicines, like lab-made insulin that acts like the hormone the body makes naturally.
- Leading-edge investigations: We study technologies that can transform patients’ lives, such as new insulin pumps for children with Type 1 diabetes.
- Partnerships on national and international diabetes prevention projects: Our researchers have participated in the Diabetes Prevention Program and Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet, both sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. As part of TrialNet, Rady Children’s Health has screened more than 6,000 family members of patients with Type 1 diabetes to check their risk for the disease.
- Wide-ranging industry collaborations: We have worked with many industry sponsors on clinical trials of medicines and devices, including Medtronic, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Beta Bionics, Mannkind Corporation, Ascendis Pharma, Dexcom, Neurocrine Biosciences, OPKO Health, IBSA Farmaceutici, BioMarine and more.
Research Stories & Patient Impact
FDA approval grows use of growth therapy for children with achondroplasia
Rady Children’s Health participated in research to give children with this condition, a form of dwarfism, access to new treatments.
‘Type 1 diabetes is a part of who I am’: Hamza’s Story
Expert care at Rady Children’s Health helped a young patient learn to manage Type 1 diabetes, a longtime area of focus for the Endocrine Research Program.
Rady Children’s Health worked with key stakeholders to create a strategic advisory initiative that helps innovators develop new treatments and technologies for childhood diabetes.
From CHOC patient to CHOC donor: Katrina’s story
The Type 1 diabetes care a patient received at Rady Children’s Health later inspired her to become an endocrinology research intern at the hospital and raise funds for diabetes research.
Two Rady Children’s Health researchers found that patients at the hospital who had thyroid surgery experienced low complication rates similar to those at higher-volume programs.