Paediatric Trials Network
Cure Leukaemia currently funds Research Nurses as part of the National Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) Network across 15 cities in the UK.
This network enables pioneering blood cancer clinical trials, but the same network does not exist for children who require a stem cell transplant and cell therapy.
Every 14 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with a form of blood cancer with four children diagnosed every day. Blood cancer is the most common cancer in children and teenagers and can affect children from as young as three months old.
Cure Leukaemia are looking to reverse this trend by funding a paediatric trials network which will deliver world-class, innovative and practice changing clinical trials to improve outcomes for children with leukaemia throughout the UK undergoing a stem cell transplant across the major metropolitan cities of the UK.
The network will emulate the success of our Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) Network for adult patients with leukaemia and the IMPACT Network for adults undergoing stem cell transplant. These adult networks have been dramatically successful in recruiting patients to pivotal clinical trials.
Replicating this in children requiring stem cell transplant is our focus, to enable such children to have access to innovative new treatments. Establishment of such a network has been long in the planning and has been formally discussed and is strongly supported by the UK and Ireland Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Group as well as other key stakeholders including Anthony Nolan and NHS Blood and Transport (NHSBT).
Four children every day are diagnosed with a form of blood cancer.
Blood cancer is the most common cancer in children and teens
Blood cancer can affect kids from as little as 3 months
How can you get involved?
What if the network is not created?
The network will help to kickstart clinical research studies in children with leukaemia undergoing a stem cell transplant.
Without the ability to coordinate studies across major metropolitan cities across the country, studies are unlikely to be run in the UK.
UK children with leukaemia will have less access to innovative medicines and combinations through clinical research studies.
Practice changing questions will not be addressed in the UK to improve outcomes for patients.