Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)

At Children’s Hospital Boston, we’re known for our science-driven approach and our intense culture of innovation—a philosophy that lets us push the boundaries of pediatric care.

We’re one of nine sites selected country-wide for expertise in taking care of patients with neurofibromatosis to participate in the Department of Defense-funded Clinical Trials Consortium. As part of the Consortium, we run trials aimed at finding new ways to treat:

• progressive plexiform neurofibromas
• pediatric brain tumors
• pediatric learning disabilities
• malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

We also lead and participate in clinical studies that investigate:

• growth abnormalities in children with NF1, including premature puberty
• bone density in neurofibromatosis
• the relationship between a mutation and the symptoms that people with that mutation may or may not develop
• early ways to detect complications of NF1
• how new blood vessels are created in tumors associated with NF1

If you’d like to find out more about our clinical trials or see whether your child might be a candidate, please talk to your child’s doctor or email us at nf@childrens.harvard.edu.