Research and Clinical Trials

The research teams at Seattle Children’s work hard to find new ways to treat children who have problems that affect their brain, skull or spinal cord. We study the causes of these conditions and develop new diagnostic methods and treatments. We believe that by using all available resources and the most technically advanced methods, we can help children who have neurosurgical problems that may otherwise seem hopeless.

At Seattle Children’s, doctors and researchers from many specialties combine their knowledge of cellular and molecular biology, cognitive neuroscience, nanotechnology, targeted therapies, embryology, developmental biology, clinical investigation and epidemiology to answer basic questions that can lead to new discoveries.

Seattle Children’s is involved in two types of research:

• Basic science, also known as bench or laboratory research, which seeks to understand the molecular basis of disease
• Clinical research, which is research that has moved to the bedside or clinic and involves patients

Seattle Children’s works closely with UW Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.

Read more about our current research and advances:

• Epilepsy research  
• Hydrocephalus research  
• Brain tumor research using nanotechnology  
• Brain Tumor Program
• Chiari malformation research