Paul McNally
Director of Research and Innovation, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, Associate Professor of Paediatrics,
Children’s Health Ireland (CHI)
Clinical trials are essential if we are to deliver the highest quality healthcare services for children. They drive medical advances, improving health outcomes locally and globally.
Clinical trials are highly specialised research studies that test new treatments or drugs in people to ensure they are safe and effective. They are essential for advancing medical knowledge and improving outcomes for patients.
Why children need tailored trials
Children are not just small people. At different stages of development from infancy to adolescence, the way children’s bodies work changes dramatically, and treatments must be tailored specifically for them throughout their childhood. By including children in clinical trials, we gather critical information about safety, effectiveness, dosages and side effects. This leads to better, more precise treatments for our children.
Clinical trials are an essential step in delivering innovative therapies that transform children’s healthcare and allow children to live healthier, longer lives — free from illness. Many of the major advances that we have seen in child health over the years have come about because of clinical trials.
Trials offer hope and access
Participating in clinical trials gives children and their families hope. It offers them access to cutting-edge treatments that are not yet available to the public. For many families, this can be a lifeline, providing options when standard treatments are not available or have failed. It’s also a chance for families to be part of something bigger — contributing to the future of medicine and helping other children who will benefit from these discoveries.
Participating in clinical trials gives
children and their families hope.
Ireland advancing paediatric clinical trials
Clinical trials in babies and children are being carried out all over Ireland, concentrated in the major teaching hospitals in partnership with our university partners. This activity is supported by Children’s Health Ireland and In4kids, an Irish network for trials in babies and children. The new children’s hospital will have a dedicated facility for trials. It will work in partnership with colleagues at the St James’s Hospital clinical trials facility to deliver advanced therapy trials.
Boosting participation to improve research
We still have a lot to do to promote and drive participation in clinical trials for children in Ireland, especially for children with rare or life-threatening diseases. As a country, we have huge potential to contribute to the growth of trials in children, bringing hope and improved outcomes to children in Ireland and internationally.
