Age-appropriate heart medication strategies for children with congenital heart disease
Official title: Off-label drugs in cardiology: evaluating age- and disease-appropriate therapies
Funded at Children's Research Institute · NIH-11285264 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at how common heart medicines affect babies, children, and teens so doctors can choose safer, age-tailored treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Washington, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $629,045 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD108839-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285264 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are newborns, infants, children, or adolescents with congenital heart disease who receive cardiovascular medications or are planning to undergo cardiac surgery.
✕Less likely to help
People without congenital heart disease or adults whose treatment follows standard adult dosing guidelines are unlikely to directly benefit from this pediatric-focused work.
What this research studies
As a parent or patient, this project focuses on how developing hearts in newborns, infants, children, and adolescents respond differently to medications often prescribed off-label for congenital heart disease. The team will study age-related differences in ion channels, calcium handling, and adrenergic drug targets using laboratory models that mimic immature myocardium alongside clinical data. Researchers will examine drugs commonly used in pediatric cardiac care—such as beta-blockers, antiarrhythmics, adrenergic agents, and calcium channel blockers—to understand variable effects and possible harms at different ages. The goal is to produce guidance that helps clinicians pick safer drugs and dosing for children before, during, and after heart surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to safer, more effective drug choices and dosing for infants, children, and teens with congenital heart disease.
How similar studies have gone: Adult studies and some pediatric reports hint that age changes drug responses, but physiology-driven, pediatric-focused work of this scope is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Children's Research Institute
Washington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Posnack, Nikki Gillum — Children's Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Posnack, Nikki Gillum
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.