Donate Now
  • What We're Working On
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children: Predicting severity and treatments for better outcomes
Multisystem-Inflammatory-Syndrome-in-ChildrenPLS-image
Scientific Study Title:
Precision Decisions in MIS-C: Towards improving outcomes in children with COVID-19
Start Date:
  • March 2022
End Date:
  • February 2024
Research Category
Tags

Why do this research?

Reason For Research

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) can occur weeks after a mild or even asymptomatic infection of COVID-19. During each new wave of COVID-19, previously healthy children are showing up at hospital in shock and heart failure, due to uncontrolled inflammation. This new syndrome closely resembles Kawasaki Disease (KD). KD is the result of an infection, which triggers an over active immune system, resulting in fever and inflammation of the blood vessels and coronary arteries. One in four children with MIS-C develops coronary artery inflammation. Health care teams need to rapidly recognize MIS-C, identify high risk children and control the life-threatening inflammation before it damages the child’s heart.

Our team has studied KD and has identified new medications for improved outcomes. The lessons learned from KD are transferrable to MIS-C to guide the development of new treatment approaches.

 

 

What will be done?

Execution of Research

In this study, we will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to rapidly diagnose MIS-C and predict which child will develop severe disease. This has worked previously with other diseases. The information will be shared with other countries to rapidly improve care for children affected by MIS-C.

How Can People Get Involved?

Involvement

Our team includes doctors, scientists, and affected families working together to tackle this serious disease. We have a strong and deeply committed Canada-wide team, with the expertise and infrastructure already in place. We have key partners in Europe and the USA, using the same processes so that data can be shared more efficiently.

Media and Infographics

Related Research

What We're Working On Right Now

Exploring a New Immune Cell Therapy for People with Autoimmune Diseases

Systemic sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus are serious autoimmune diseases that can cause damage to many organs including the skin, lungs and kidneys. In this project, we will study a new type of treatment that may better control these diseases by targeting the immune cells that cause them. If successful, it could reduce inflammation, slow or stop disease progression, and may even help reset the immune system, so that some patients no longer need long-term immune-suppressing medications.
Read More

Understanding how scleroderma affects people over time

People living with scleroderma experience challenges such as pain, disability, and mental health concerns, but we still don’t know much about how these problems change over time or why some people do better than others. For this research project, our goal is to improve our understanding of how scleroderma affects people’s daily lives and identify factors that may predict changes in their health.
Read More

How can we help Canadians age at home to improve health outcomes and support a sustainable healthcare system?

As Canada’s population ages, home care is important for helping older adults remain safely within their homes. Our research team is linking data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging with health records in British Columbia, Ontario, and New Brunswick, to track patterns of paid and unpaid home care use over time.
Read More