The MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative (MIT HEALS) has announced the establishment of the Hood Pediatric Innovation Hub, an ambitious effort designed to drive cutting-edge innovation in children’s health care. Launched in collaboration with the Charles H. Hood Foundation, the hub will focus on addressing unmet needs in pediatric medicine by developing technologies and treatments tailored specifically for children.
Leveraging the Institute’s strengths in the life sciences, the hub will provide seed funding and strategic support for bold, high-impact research projects with the potential to transform health care for children. It will also act as a springboard for emerging scientific leaders, empowering them to help shape the future of pediatric health.
“The Hood Pediatric Innovation Hub represents an extraordinary opportunity to create meaningful and lasting change in the lives of children,” says Anantha Chandrakasan, dean of the MIT School of Engineering, MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer, and head of MIT HEALS. “By collaborating with the Charles H. Hood Foundation, we’re harnessing MIT’s interdisciplinary strengths to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in pediatric health care.”
Addressing critical gaps in pediatric health care
Despite making up a significant portion of the global population, children have been largely underserved when it comes to medical innovation, leaving immense gaps in care. Pediatric conditions that shape a lifetime of health and well-being often lack dedicated solutions — forcing reliance on repurposed adult treatments or no solution at all. From 2008 to 2018, only 10 percent of U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals were designated for individuals under the age of 18.
There is a massive opportunity to prioritize innovation for people during their formative years and drive breakthroughs that not only improve individual lives but also elevate health outcomes for generations to come. The Hood Pediatric Innovation Hub seeks to lead this transformation by creating a dedicated community for advancing technologies and research.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with MIT to launch the hub, a bold initiative that will drive groundbreaking science and technology for children. MIT’s unparalleled expertise in engineering and life sciences, combined with our deep commitment to pediatric innovation, creates a powerful force for change,” says Hood Foundation President Neil Smiley, on behalf of the foundation’s board of trustees. “We look forward to this catalytic gift igniting transformative programs that will shape the future of children’s health and well-being for generations to come.”
The Hood Foundation, based in Massachusetts, has committed $15 million over five years to support the creation and development of the hub, reinforcing its long-standing dedication to advancing groundbreaking pediatric research. Since its establishment in 1942, the Charles H. Hood Foundation has sought to fill gaps in the pediatric health care system by awarding research grants and supporting the development of pediatric related tools and treatments.
In addition to its established grant programs, over the course of the past decade the Hood Foundation has served as a pioneer in supporting young companies trying to bring pediatric innovations to the patients who need them, by way of program-related investments made via its venture arm, CH Innovations LLC.
“The Hood Foundation’s longstanding dedication to improving child health has led to the formation of an extensive and robust network of researchers, clinician-scientists, entrepreneurs, and other leaders in science and business who stand well-positioned to engage with and contribute to the hub’s efforts,” adds Smiley.
A central role in the MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative
The Hood Pediatric Innovation Hub, which will be administered in the MIT School of Engineering, will serve as a cornerstone of MIT HEALS, an Institute-wide initiative to address society’s most urgent health challenges. The hub’s cross-disciplinary approach underscores MIT’s commitment to inspiring, accelerating, and delivering solutions at scale to some of society’s most urgent and intractable health challenges.
Elazer R. Edelman will serve as faculty lead, with Joseph J. Frassica as the executive director of the hub. Edelman is the Edward J. Poitras Professor in Medical Engineering and Science in MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) and director of MIT’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research. He also serves as a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s cardiac intensive care unit in Boston. Frassica serves as professor of the practice in IMES at MIT. He is also a member of the teaching and research staff of the Massachusetts General Hospital (pediatric critical care) and serves as pediatric editor for the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine.
“As scientists, engineers, and clinicians, we are obliged to ensure that what we learn and what we invent is available to all. Ironically, those most in need of innovation are least able to access and benefit from it — children especially. The support of the Hood Foundation and collaboration with our MIT and extended community can help address this gap and fill this vital void,” says Edelman.
"The Hood Pediatric Innovation Hub will serve as a catalyst, mentor, and advocate for pediatric innovation, harnessing MIT’s world-class expertise and Hood’s extensive network of pediatric innovators to tackle the most pressing challenges in pediatric care. Thanks to the generous support of the Hood Foundation, we plan to build the infrastructure and programs needed to transform groundbreaking ideas into real-world solutions that improve the lives of children and the providers who care for them," Frassica adds.
Driving research, advocacy, and education
Beyond supporting research, the hub seeks to bolster the broader pediatric research community through outreach, education, and advocacy. By working closely with key collaborators and leveraging relationships with other stakeholders such as hospitals, industry, patient advocates, and funders, the hub will identify, develop, and advance efforts to find economically viable pathways to bring treatments to young patients.
The hub will also create the infrastructure to seamlessly share deep organizational understanding of the regulatory processes governing innovation for children with researchers and innovators in the hub community.
