Connecticut Children’s Research Institute (CCRI) The Connecticut Children’s Research Institute (CCRI) is the home of our team of scientist-champions who advance the discovery of life-saving treatments that alleviate the suffering of children and youth worldwide. As the research arm of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (Connecticut Children’s), the CCRI specializes in Cardio-Oncology, Hematology / Oncology, Infectious Disease, Inflammation Biology, Population Health, and Regenerative Medicine, among other fields. Our physicians, nurses, clinical providers, researchers, and faculty form an ecosystem of innovation that emerged organically from Connecticut Children’s longstanding culture of operational excellence. Founded in 2021, the CCRI for the first time formally unites investigators to discover and evaluate biological mechanisms and agents for the treatment of disease and the improvement of health. Our scientists collaborate across three active centers: Center for Basic & Translational Research, for regenerative medicine and inflammation biology. Center for Population Health & Outcomes, focusing on suicide prevention, asthma management, social determinants of health, and clinical pathways to improve health outcomes. Center for Clinical Research, the home for our rigorous clinical trials program for rare disease/endocrinology, gastrointestinal disorders, and hematological/oncological disorders. Finally, the research operations wing of the CCRI oversees the full lifecycle of the research process while also supporting two cross-pollinating centers: 1) the Bright Ideas Research Incubator for early-career, highly promising pediatric researchers and 2) the Center for Innovation, which catalyzes partnerships with corporations and foundations to disseminate and commercialize CCRI creativity. Our Foundation Over the past 25 years, Connecticut Children’s has developed fertile groundwork for the CCRI’s current robust research program. In 1996, we joined with The University of Connecticut School of Medicine to form the Department of Pediatrics, which instantly strengthened research and academic relations to help inform and guide clinical decisions for children across the state. Since then, this relationship grew to involve joint faculty, academic sub-specialty rotations, and a multitude of funded collaborations such as Mighty Mice in Space and our most recent U19 award from the NIH to support the development of a vaccine to treat syphilis. In 2016, we pursued a similar institutional relationship with the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine to hire joint faculty who could focus on translational pediatric research. Connecticut Children’s also forged a new standing within the greater Hartford community, working with collaborators such as the Village, Hartford Public Schools, and the Connecticut Department of Housing. These partnerships, in turn, have yielded substantial external support, such as our $30M Department of Education award in 2021 to expand the Promise Neighborhoods Program to Hartford. Our Purpose CCRI researchers are at the forefront of the future of healthcare. Through our commitment to high-quality care and scientific research, we provide every child with an opportunity to grow and thrive.We understand that excellence in pediatric research is Connecticut Children’s engine of evolutionary edge, and the wellspring for tomorrow’s treatments that astonish, that are “no longer beyond imagination.”
