Research at Shriners Children's Boston

Thanks to the dedication of our physicians and researchers, the dream that scientific breakthroughs will give doctors the tools and medicines to cure disease is becoming reality.

Damage to your child’s skin, whether due to an injury or a longer-term condition, may not only cause them discomfort, it can also lead to other medical complications. At Shriners Children's Boston, our director of research, Mehmet Toner, Ph.D., leads doctors and scientists as they work to find new ways to heal children with burns and other complex wounds and skin conditions.

Originally focused primarily on burns, the founding of The Howard Green Center for Children’s Skin Health and Research in 2016, has allowed our team to expand their research in regenerative medicine to include a number of conditions affecting the skin. The Howard Green Center is a first-of-its-kind center dedicated to regenerative treatments for children with burns, skin and dermatological conditions.

The work being done through this center has established Shriners Children's Boston as a premier destination for world-class care in pediatric burns, reconstructive, laser and plastic surgery and specialized wound care and skin disorders.

Our physicians and researchers are actively engaged in ongoing research and are continually developing new and innovative ways to treat and care for children. The research areas we're currently involved in include:

  • Organ Reengineering
  • Organs-on-Chips
  • Neutrophil Traffic in Microfluidic Mazes
  • Laboratory of Molecular and Pharmacological Imaging
  • Burn-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction and Inflammatory Response
  • Engineered Skin Replacements
  • Circulating Tumor Cells
  • Multi-Host Bacterial Pathogenesis and Anti-Virulence Therapeutics
  • Factors Influencing Tolerance/Rejection of Skin in Face/Hand Transplantation

The Shriners Children's Boston research program is an integral part of the system-wide Shriners Children's research program, driven to find cures and treatments that allow us to provide exceptional care to children everywhere.

Preschool LIBRE (Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation) Study

Colleen Ryan, M.D., FACS, and the burn outcomes lab is currently seeking parents of children who are burn survivors to participate in a survey-based study. This study is being used to evaluate different health outcomes related to your child's physical and social recovery after their burn injury.

If you are a parent of a child under the age of 5, who is recovering from a burn injury and are interested in contributing to this research by completing a one-time survey, please contact Gabby Grant at 617-371-4929 or email us for more information.

Thanks to the dedication of our physicians and researchers, the dream that scientific breakthroughs will give doctors the tools and medicines to cure disease is becoming reality.

Damage to your child’s skin, whether due to an injury or a longer-term condition, may not only cause them discomfort, it can also lead to other medical complications. At Shriners Children's Boston, our director of research, Mehmet Toner, Ph.D., leads doctors and scientists as they work to find new ways to heal children with burns and other complex wounds and skin conditions.

Originally focused primarily on burns, the founding of The Howard Green Center for Children’s Skin Health and Research in 2016, has allowed our team to expand their research in regenerative medicine to include a number of conditions affecting the skin. The Howard Green Center is a first-of-its-kind center dedicated to regenerative treatments for children with burns, skin and dermatological conditions.

The work being done through this center has established Shriners Children's Boston as a premier destination for world-class care in pediatric burns, reconstructive, laser and plastic surgery and specialized wound care and skin disorders.

Our physicians and researchers are actively engaged in ongoing research and are continually developing new and innovative ways to treat and care for children. The research areas we're currently involved in include:

  • Organ Reengineering
  • Organs-on-Chips
  • Neutrophil Traffic in Microfluidic Mazes
  • Laboratory of Molecular and Pharmacological Imaging
  • Burn-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction and Inflammatory Response
  • Engineered Skin Replacements
  • Circulating Tumor Cells
  • Multi-Host Bacterial Pathogenesis and Anti-Virulence Therapeutics
  • Factors Influencing Tolerance/Rejection of Skin in Face/Hand Transplantation

The Shriners Children's Boston research program is an integral part of the system-wide Shriners Children's research program, driven to find cures and treatments that allow us to provide exceptional care to children everywhere.

Preschool LIBRE (Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation) Study

Colleen Ryan, M.D., FACS, and the burn outcomes lab is currently seeking parents of children who are burn survivors to participate in a survey-based study. This study is being used to evaluate different health outcomes related to your child's physical and social recovery after their burn injury.

If you are a parent of a child under the age of 5, who is recovering from a burn injury and are interested in contributing to this research by completing a one-time survey, please contact Gabby Grant at 617-371-4929 or email us for more information.

The Howard Green Center for Children's Skin Health and Research

Founded in 2016, The Howard Green Center for Children's Skin Health and Research is dedicated to making breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and developing innovative treatments that move from our lab to our patients’ bedsides quickly.

Howard Green, M.D. was a pioneer in regenerative medicine. He was the first to grow skin grafts using a patient’s own cells, one of the earliest examples of stem cell therapy. The first grafts from cultured skin were used to treat two patients with life-threatening burns at Shriners Children’s Boston in the early 1980s. The patients survived and Dr. Green’s discovery forever improved the life expectancy of patients with acute burns. He dedicated his career to furthering his understanding of skin regeneration to improve the outcomes for patients with devastating skin injuries and conditions.

Dr. Green held distinguished positions at New York University School of Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and most recently as the George Higginson Professor of Cell Biology and chairman of the department of cell biology at Harvard Medical School. He was a 2010 recipient of the prestigious Warren Alpert Foundation Prize.

Following Dr. Green's passing, his wife Mrs. Rosine Kauffmann Green helped Shriners Children's Boston establish this center to ensure that her late husband's legacy continues to live on in the city where so much of his research was conducted and where his work impacted so many lives.

Research at Shriners Children's Boston

Research is at the heart of Shriners Children's Boston. The work happening in our labs and as part of our clinical studies powers our incredible patient outcomes. Our research has contributed to the care of patients with burn injuries and other complex skin conditions around the world. We are proud of our history of contributions and excited for the future of clinical discoveries made at our hospital that will benefit future patients.

Funding and Support for our Research Projects

Our research is made possible through funding and grants from:

  • Mrs. Rosine Kauffmann Green in memory of Dr. Howard Green
  • Shriners Children’s internal research funding
  • Other philanthropic and industrial sources

We are grateful for the generous gift from Mrs. Rosine Kauffmann Green, which helped Shriners Children's Boston establish The Howard Green Center for Children’s Skin Health and Research in 2016. This center has become the cornerstone of our team's research and is a testament to Ms. Kauffmann Green's husband, Dr. Howard Green's commitment to regenerative medicine for skin conditions. Dr. Green's work has transformed the way that we care for patients with skin conditions.

Funding from our generous donors provides new hope and opportunities for children with burns, skin disorders and dermatological conditions.

Recognized Leader in Burn and Skin Condition Research

Our team authors over 100 papers per year, with their work published in a number of prestigious journals, including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science Reports, Nature Biotechnology and Nature Biomedical Engineering. Around 10% of the papers presented at the American Burn Association's annual meeting are written by Shriners Children’s Boston researchers.

Two medical personnel creating a skin graft

We Understand the Unique Medical Needs of Children

We provide vital, pioneering treatment from birth to age 18. Here, children have the opportunity to be evaluated and treated by doctors recognized as the best by their peers.