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Home > Healthcare Professionals > Research Awards > 2008 Research Awards > Dr. Joshua Friedman

Dr. Joshua R. Friedman, MD, PhD

Thomas F. Nealon, III Biliary Atresia Special Research Initiative, honoring Zachary Rue. The Joseph Stokes, Jr. Research Institute of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "MicroRNA in Biliary Atresia."

The cause of biliary atresia is unknown and the subject of much debate among physicians and scientists. Dr. Friedman intends to approach this mystery from an entirely new direction. In recent years, small molecules called microRNAs, or miRNA, have been discovered to play a major role in regulating which of our genes are expressed. Dr. Friedman observed that nothing is known regarding the function of miRNA in biliary atresia. The goal of his project is to fill this hole in the existing research.

Dr. Friedman’s team has already performed a large-scale survey of miRNA in mouse models of biliary atresia and, in doing so, found that the progression of biliary atresia leads to significant changes in a specific set of miRNA. Dr. Friedman hypothesizes that, within this set, specific miRNAs contribute to the development of biliary atresia. If this is the case, then treatments may feasibly be developed to target these particular miRNAs.

By increasing or decreasing the activity of particular miRNAs in mouse models of biliary atresia, Dr. Friedman hopes to identify the ones that give rise to biliary atresia and describe what each one does. His study has the potential to add significantly to our understanding of this mysterious disease and may point the way to new therapeutic approaches.

Page updated: August 14th, 2008