My research activities focus on improving existing analytic diagnostic tools and expanding the repertoire of informative biomolecules available for disease detection in children. We have developed novel analytic tools for the detection of inborn errors of metabolism and drug exposure in children and continue to explore the value of broad metabolic profiling in conditions such as pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth retardation, liver failure, and neonatal hypoglycemia.

Dennis Dietzen, PhD, completed his formal education at Marian University (BS, Chemistry) with graduate training at Indiana University (PhD, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology). Dietzen completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Clinical Chemistry at Washington University School of Medicine. Dietzen is currently a professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He serves as Medical Director of Laboratory Services at both St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Children’s Specialty Care Center.

Highlighted Publications

Current State of Pediatric Reference Intervals and the Importance
of Correctly Describing the Biochemistry of Child Development
A Review (2022)
Dried Blood Spot Reference Intervals for Steroids and
Amino Acids in a Neonatal Cohort of the National
Children’s Study (2016)
First-trimester prediction of Preeclampsia using metabolomic biomarkers: a discovery phase study (2011)
Serum alpha-NH-butyric acid may predict spontaneous survival in pediatric acute liver failure (2008)
Rapid comprehensive amino acid analysis by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: comparison to cation exchange with post-column ninhydrin detection (2008)