Research in gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Phoenix Children’s is helping advance our understanding of gastrointestinal (GI) and liver diseases. Through these studies, we are making strides in improving therapies for children affected by these conditions.

At Phoenix Children’s, our research results in state-of-the-art care and access to promising new treatment options. Patients involved in these studies often gain access to innovative treatments that may not be widely available.

Experts at Phoenix Children’s collaborate with partners in our region and globally. We share data with institutions worldwide in pursuit of optimal treatments and cures. Our dedicated partners include universities, research institutes, drug companies and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additionally, we collaborate with major foundations such as the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and the ImproveCareNow network.

Aerodigestive and Feeding Research

Our aerodigestive and feeding research includes several studies focused on:

  • Etiology, workup and innovative multidisciplinary treatment pathway to persistent or chronic dysphagia aspiration in young children
  • Functional esophageal differences in children with pediatric feeding disorders with and without dysphagia and in children with anatomical abnormalities
  • Parental expectations of communication in multidisciplinary aerodigestive evaluations
  • Interoceptive characteristics of hunger cues and clinical outcomes in an intensive feeding therapy model
  • Presence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and upper esophageal sphincter (UES) restriction in pediatric patients presenting for multidisciplinary pediatric feeding disorders evaluations
  • Multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment of small laryngeal clefts in children under age 3

Our team mentors pediatric learners in aerodigestive research, including pediatric gastroenterology fellows and residents. Additionally, we provide mentorship to medical students from the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale and Phoenix Children’s Valleywise Pediatric Residency Alliance.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research

The inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) program at Phoenix Children’s aligns with ImproveCareNow, the world’s largest quality improvement collaborative on pediatrics. Our team engages in cutting-edge therapeutic research, offering patients early access to the latest treatments. Research efforts also focus on identifying associations of this disease in at-risk ethnic groups and populations, including African American, Hispanic and Native American patients. These studies range from NIH-funded and industry-sponsored to investigator-initiated and hospital-supported initiatives.

Locally, we collaborate with Mayo Clinic to further investigate IBD in very young patients. Additionally, we partner with Arizona State University to explore the role of the microbiome and vitamin D in pediatric IBD.

This NIH-funded study aims to enhance our understanding of the natural progression of Crohn’s disease in pediatric patients. It seeks to identify potential phenotypic differences and markers for therapeutic response. In particular, the CAMEO study tries to understand why treating Crohn’s disease with anti-TNF biologics heals some children’s intestines but not others.

Furthermore, our collaboration with the ImproveCareNow network aims to analyze medical practice patterns, clinical outcomes and variability in care. This will help improve the number of patients who achieve steroid-free, durable remission.

Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases (EGID) Research

At Phoenix Children’s, we have established a multidisciplinary Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Clinic and a less-invasive esophageal surveillance clinic for patients with EoE. These sedation-free diagnostics and screening tools have positioned Phoenix Children’s as one of the few centers in the country to offer both techniques.

This innovative work places our team at the forefront of research in sedation-free management of patients. These advancements enable us to use these tools for qualitative and quantitative research.

Additionally, we actively participate in several multicenter studies utilizing transnasal endoscopy. We are conducting a survey study to:

  • Describe our patient populations
  • Develop a point-of-care tool in collaboration with partners at Mayo Clinic
  • Utilize samples from a string test to study the microbiome and proteins to understand EoE disease pathogenesis better

As a leading EGID center, we have been involved in seven large industry studies in recent years. Our success in enrolling and recruiting patients at Phoenix Children’s has contributed to the approval of the first medication by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for EoE in patients under age 1.

Physician-led research within our allergy division has secured NIH funding. Our allergist clinically manages patients at Phoenix Children’s and oversees a laboratory at Mayo Clinic. These collaborations are instrumental in advancing our understanding of the role detergents may play in the development of EoE.

Similar to our IBD research, the diverse patient population in Arizona allows us to present and publish our research on EoE, focusing on unique patient populations and ethnicities such as Hispanic and Native American patients.

Additional Research

Other areas of gastroenterology research include:

  • Understanding a range of liver diseases, including rare metabolic liver diseases, hepatic fibrosis and associated diseases
  • Studying microvillus inclusion disease (MVID) at the cellular and genetic level in our Native American patient population
  • Exploring novel endoscopic tools like transnasal endoscopy
  • Creating a pediatric motility database to understand the natural history of these conditions in our pediatric patients
  • Examining the effect of the microbiome on different GI conditions

Find a Research Study

Patients and families can use the Find a Research Study tool or speak with their child’s doctor to learn about enrollment in current and upcoming clinical research studies at Phoenix Children’s.

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