According to a UNM HSC press release, HSC will become part of a network of universities that will conduct clinical trials of drugs and treatments for children.
This is all possible thanks to a new four-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the support of the UNM Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC).
“The UNM Pediatric Clinical Trial Site will allow us to bring new therapies and treatments to children in New Mexico and throughout the Mountain West more quickly than ever,” Richard Larson, HSC executive vice chancellor, was quoted as saying in the press release.
According to the release, coordinating research over multiple sites will provide a bigger pool of study subjects, as well as accelerate the pace that new drugs and therapies can be made available to children.
The Pediatric Clinical Trial Site will be directed by Hengameh Raissy, PharmD, a research professor in the Department of Pediatrics and associate director of the UNM CTSC, and Alberta Kong, MD, an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics, according to the press release.
According to the press release, UNM CTSC’s seasoned, highly skilled research team includes investigators who are trained to conduct pediatric clinical trials, and the team will draw on existing connections of 13 other state universities in the Mountain West states.
The NIH hopes the network will give children living in rural and underserved areas access to potentially life-saving therapies in state-of-the-art clinical trials, according to the press release. Faculty pediatricians and support teams, such as research nurse coordinators and data managers, will also gain greater expertise in clinical research.
According to the press release, the new network of clinical trial sites will support the objectives of the NIH Environmental Influences on the Child Health Outcomes Program, which is a seven-year, $157 million initiative, prioritizing research in upper and lower airway conditions, obesity, pre-, peri- and postnatal outcomes and neurodevelopment.
Matthew Reisen is the news editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @MReisen88.
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