From BioSpace, June 4, 2021
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has been awarded a $2 million grant from the state of California to study a precision medicine approach to screening children for adverse childhood experiences. The three-year grant—part of the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine—was announced by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, in partnership with the Office of the California Surgeon General.
Adverse childhood experiences, also called ACEs, are potentially traumatic events early in life—such as neglect, abuse, racism, witnessed violence and economic hardships. These events can result in toxic stress—a physiologic response to severe adversity. ACEs can increase a child’s risk for developmental delays, as well as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and mental illness later in life.
The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles study aims to improve early screening for ACEs by using precision medicine to identify specific biomarkers of early-life stress. Nearly two-thirds of children in the U.S. have experienced at least one ACE, and 15% to 20% have experienced four or more.
Comments (0)