Marking Clinical Trials Day with SCHN research

International Clinical Trials Day is celebrated globally on 20 May, each year. Since the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the importance of progress in science, research and healthcare has never been more evident.

The speed and scale of the global spread of COVID-19 has driven government bodies, researchers and clinicians to rapidly develop and launch clinical trials in the race to develop a vaccine.

With over 140 clinical trials currently conducted at Kids Research, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), we would like to acknowledge the people behind every trial; from participants to research staff members who continue to make research possible, saving and improving lives this Clinical Trials Day.

Watch Clinical Research Nurse, Stephanie talk about her role and the importance of clinical trials.

What do clinical trials test for?

Clinical trials aim to find out if a new “intervention” is safe and effective. Medication is a common kind of intervention that is tested through clinical trials but other interventions include - vaccines, medical devices, surgical techniques, counselling and behavioural therapies, preventative care, education and many others.

Clinical trials provide the evidence we need as clinicians to have confidence in the standard treatments and medicines that we use today – Dr Laura Fawcett, Clinical Trials Lead (Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick), SCHN

Conducting clinical trials ensures that we are carrying out evidence-based practice in healthcare. Knowing the safety and efficacy of a drug or therapy is crucial to the treatment of patients, giving them access to early, better treatments and outcomes – Prof Craig Munns, Clinical Trials Lead (The Children’s Hospital at Westmead), SCHN  

Areas of clinical research (COVID-19 impact)

Clinical research at SCHN covers childhood conditions across a range of areas including food allergies, gene therapy, brain and muscular disorder, respiratory conditions, mental health and more.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, SCHN researchers have been actively working to investigate and understand the virus; from developing a national Clinical Data Analytics Platform (CDAP) to drive delivery of care to an investigation by National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) of the spread of COVID-19 in NSW Schools.

It is our hope that through research and clinical trials, we are able to find answers to this global disease and many important clinical questions. Leading better outcomes for patients and health systems across Australia ” – Prof Chris Cowell, Director of Research SCHN