Massage Therapy Foundation awards $299,465 research grant to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Study investigates the application of therapeutic massage for irritable bowel syndrome in children

2025-09-18

(Press-News.org) Evanston, Ill. – September 10, 2025 – The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) announces the award of a research grant to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The grant will support a three-year study entitled Myofascial Release Therapy in Irritable Bowel Syndrome led by Primary Investigators Maria Mascarenhas, MBBS and Alain J. Benitez, MD, MSTR.

The study aims to evaluate the impact of abdominal myofascial release (MFR)—a gentle, manual therapy—on symptom relief, quality of life, and bowel function in adolescents with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C). This randomized controlled study pairs MFR with a novel, non-invasive Wireless Patch System to objectively measure gastrointestinal activity. By integrating patient-reported outcomes with real-time physiological data, the study aims to uncover both therapeutic benefits and underlying mechanisms of MFR. Findings could pave the way for safer, developmentally appropriate treatments for pediatric irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and establish new standards for non-invasive motility assessment.

“We’re excited to explore how massage helps children and adolescents with IBS and to better understand how it works in the body,” said Maria Mascarehhas, MBBS, pediatric gastroenterologist and Medical Director of the Integrative Health Program at CHOP. “This research can help make massage a regular part of care, not just a nice addition to the care plan. It will support efforts to get insurance to cover the service, so more families can access the option."

“This study exemplifies the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together researchers and skilled massage therapists to co-develop and deliver a practice-informed intervention for pediatric IBS-C. We’re proud to support research that not only advances scientific understanding but also honors the expertise of massage therapy professionals in creating meaningful, patient-centered care,” said Kim Kane-Santos, MTF President.

Funds for this groundbreaking research project were provided by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), in alignment with their shared mission with MTF to advance the art, science, and practice of massage therapy.

“We are proud to support this groundbreaking research exploring myofascial release therapy for pediatric IBS-C. By combining manual therapy with innovative, non-invasive monitoring, this study exemplifies the kind of integrative, evidence-based care that can transform lives and advance the massage therapy profession,” said Cindy E. Farrar, AMTA National President.

About the Massage Therapy Foundation

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to supporting scientific research, education, and community service within the massage therapy profession. The Foundation publishes an open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal and provides educational resources for massage therapists, educators, and students. MTF fosters international scientific collaboration through grants, resources, training, and services.

About the American Massage Therapy Association

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is a non-profit and the largest professional association serving massage therapists, massage students, and massage schools. AMTA works to advance the profession through ethics and standards, the promotion of fair and consistent licensing of massage therapists in all states, and public education on the benefits of massage.

For more information about this grant and the groundbreaking research, please contact: Teri Mayo, Executive Director, 847.905.1520 tmayo@massagetherapyfoundation.org

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Chung-Ang University develops chloride-resistant Ru nanocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production from seawater

2025-09-18

The growing global demand for clean energy and rising concerns over climate change have intensified the search for sustainable alternatives. Hydrogen emerges as a promising solution due to its high energy density and zero-carbon emissions. Among production methods, alkaline water electrolysis is efficient and environmentally friendly; however, its dependence on freshwater limits large-scale implementation. Seawater electrolysis offers a practical alternative by tapping Earth’s abundant water resources but contains high chloride concentrations that accelerate catalyst corrosion and reduce efficiency, posing a significant ...

Afghanistan’s August 2025 earthquake reveals the cost of international isolation, UN scientists warn

2025-09-18

Richmond Hill, Canada, 18 September 2025 – On August 31 at midnight, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar Province near the Pakistan border. Despite being moderate in magnitude, the earthquake caused extensive destruction and claimed more than 3,500 lives, including many women and children. Now, the United Nations University (UNU) scientists attribute this significant death toll to Afghanistan's decades of conflict and instability, and the nation's increasing diplomatic isolation following the Taliban takeover in 2021. A new damage assessment of the August 31 earthquake by the United ...

Shortlist announced for Panmure House Prize

2025-09-18

An international group of four leading researchers and scientists have been shortlisted for the prestigious $75,000 Panmure House Prize. This year’s competition attracted entries from across North America, Europe, and beyond, reflecting the global reach of the award. Now in its fifth year, the Prize is named after Panmure House, the former Edinburgh residence of 18th-century Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith. It is regarded as one of the largest awards in financial research and is dedicated to advancing understanding of long-term ...

Small nuclear RNA base editing a safer alternative to CRISPR, UC San Diego researchers find

2025-09-18

Genetic editing holds promise to treat incurable diseases, but the most popular method — CRISPR — sometimes does more harm than good. A new study from University of California San Diego and Yale University researchers highlights an innovative alternative approach that may be safer. CRISPR — short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats — is a method of genetic editing that uses RNA and bacterial proteins to edit DNA. It was adapted from a method used by bacteria as an immune defense against the DNA of viruses. When the method is used by scientists to edit human DNA, however, there ...

Can Hayabusa2 touchdown? New study reveals space mission’s target asteroid is tinier and faster than thought

2025-09-18

Astronomers have used observatories around the world, including the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), to study the asteroid 1998 KY26, revealing it to be almost three times smaller and spinning much faster than previously thought. The asteroid is the 2031 target for Japan’s Hayabusa2 extended mission. The new observations offer key information for the mission’s operations at the asteroid, just six years out from the spacecraft’s encounter with 1998 KY26. “We found that the reality of the object is completely different from what it was previously described as,” says ...

Millisecond windows of time may be key to how we hear, study finds

2025-09-18

You have 20 minutes of spare time, but the new episode of your favorite podcast is a few minutes longer. No problem; you can increase the listening speed and fit in those extra minutes. Phew. What happens when you listen to speech at a different speed? Neuroscientists thought that your brain may turn up its processing speed as well. But it turns out that at least the auditory part of the brain keeps “listening” or clocking in at a fixed time. That is the key finding of new research out today in Nature Neuroscience. The research was led by Sam Norman-Haignere, PhD, ...

Graz University of Technology opens up new avenues in lung cancer research with digital cell twin

2025-09-18

A team led by Christian Baumgartner of the Institute of Health Care Engineering at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) has developed a highly detailed digital twin of the A549 lung cancer cell line. The twin builds on bioelectric processes and calcium dynamics in the cell interior in innovative new ways. Calcium is a vital component in the survival of biological cells. However, if the concentration of calcium within a cell is too high, this can cause cell death – which is what makes the element such an interesting factor in cancer treatment. Created under the DigLungCancer project, the cell model builds on an earlier model from 2021 – ...

Exoplanets are not water worlds

2025-09-18

An exoplanet orbiting a dwarf star 124 light-years from Earth made headlines around the world in April 2025. Researchers at the University of Cambridge reported that planet K2-18b could be a marine world with a deep, global ocean teeming with life. However, a study now shows that so-called sub-Neptunes such as K2-18b are highly unlikely to be worlds dominated by water and that conditions there are far from conducive to life. “Water on planets is much more limited than previously believed,” notes ...

Study shows increasing ‘healthy competition’ between menu options nudges patients towards greener, lower-fat hospital food choices

2025-09-18

New research has shown hospital patients could reduce the carbon footprint and saturated fat content of their selected meals by up to almost a third – if the weekly menu featuring the same dishes is cleverly reorganised. The study, led by the University of Bristol, features in a special issue of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, which sets out innovative ways to help make the UK’s food healthier, fairer, and more sustainable. The researchers developed a cunning way to redesign weekly set menus so healthier, greener dishes weren’t competing so much with typically more popular, less healthy options, boosting ...

New insights into melanoma plasticity uncover a critical role of iron metabolism

2025-09-18

Leuven, September 18, 2025 – VIB researchers and colleagues have discovered a mechanism through which melanoma cells adapt and switch between two major proliferative and invasive states, revealing promising new targets for cancer therapy. The study, published in Nature Metabolism, reveals that alterations in iron metabolism and organelle crosstalk are central to melanoma cell plasticity—a key factor in tumor progression and resistance to treatment. The changing face of melanoma Melanoma, one of the most aggressive skin cancers, often exhibits a remarkable ability to change its phenotype, enabling it to evade therapies and metastasize. While ...

Massage Therapy Foundation awards $299,465 research grant to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: