Research and Innovation

At Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, we undergo groundbreaking research to improve the care that we provide your child and your family. Below is a sampling of our research efforts and projects that apply to the babies we care for in our NephroNICU.

Current, ongoing research efforts:

• As part of our larger Johnson Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Services scope, we research birth malformations, complex pregnancies and fetal conditions, preterm birth, new imaging technologies, and the biological connections between mothers and babies, along with other topics. Learn more about some of our research efforts for babies >
• Our Fetal and Pregnancy Health Program team participates in the North American Fetal Therapy Network (NAFTNet), a multinational consortium of fetal centers that research treatments for fetal conditions.
• Nephrotoxic-Injury Negated by Just-in-Time Action (NINJA). This is a multidisciplinary quality improvement study designed to increase awareness of medications known to cause kidney damage. The goal is to improve outcomes in children who require these medications and prevent episodes of acute kidney injury.
• The Maternal and Child Health Metabolic Health Center. This center monitors the health of newborns, mothers, and children using revolutionary methods to study metabolism. Its ultimate goal is to cure metabolic disease through prevention by detecting diseases early on. Contact the center

Review our publications

Our team members contribute to research specifically on conditions for expectant moms, fetuses, and newborns with serious kidney birth malformations. Highlighted publications include:

• Kidney Replacement Therapy in Low Birth Weight Preterm Newborns. A summary of the results of a newborn dialysis (Aquadex) study (newborn dialysis) by doctors at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
• Two infants with bilateral renal agenesis who were bridged by chronic peritoneal dialysis to kidney transplantation. This paper, which includes contributions from several doctors at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, presents the outcomes of two infants with a prenatal diagnosis of bilateral renal agenesis whose mothers elected to undergo treatment during pregnancy.
• Ethical Considerations Concerning Amnioinfusions for Treating Fetal Bilateral Renal Agenesis. A multidisciplinary group, including Stanford Medicine Children’s Health doctors, which assesses the ethical concerns associated with using serial amnioinfusions (adding fluid to the amniotic cavity during pregnancy) for bilateral renal agenesis (missing kidneys), weighing the risks and benefits, counseling of expectant parents, long-term societal implications, and more.

Learn more about our pediatric kidney care research efforts