- Queensland Children’s Hospital ACTION Centre officially launched.
- The dedicated statewide hub will increase the number and range of advanced therapy clinical trials available to Queensland children living with rare diseases and complex illnesses.
- The first stage of the Centre has been established with a $400,000 investment by the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Children living with rare diseases and complex illnesses will have better access to cutting-edge treatments thanks to a dedicated clinical trials centre of excellence at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Premier Steven Miles officially launched the Queensland Children’s Hospital ACTION (Advanced therapies and Clinical Trials InnovatiON) Centre today, wrapping up Clinical Trials Week at the hospital.
The ACTION Centre, established with a $400,000 investment by the Children’s Hospital Foundation, will give children living with rare diseases and complex illnesses safe and timely access to new and potentially life-changing treatments.
About 400,000 Australian children currently live with a rare disease. One-third of these children will not live to see their fifth birthday.
The Queensland Children’s Hospital ACTION Centre aims to significantly increase the number and range of clinical trials available to Queensland children and bring the latest advanced therapies to Queensland, as soon as they’re available.
Children’s Health Queensland will leverage its unique position as the State’s dedicated specialist paediatric healthcare service to be a national and international leader in the adoption of advanced and innovative therapies in clinical practice, and the creation of new research knowledge to support this emerging field.
Stage one of the ACTION Centre will build capacity and capability at the Queensland Children’s Hospital to support the delivery of advanced therapies and help attract global research partnerships to support the centre into the future.
Rapidly evolving advanced therapies, such as gene therapy, cell therapy and tissue engineering, have the potential to provide cures or significantly improve the health of children with rare diseases and complex illnesses. Clinical trials of advanced therapies support the translation of research into new standards of care.
Some advanced therapy clinical trials are currently not available in Queensland, with families having to travel interstate or overseas to access these potentially life-saving treatments for their children.
As stated by Premier Steven Miles
“My Government is committed to delivering world-class care and the latest cutting-edge treatments for young Queenslanders and their families.
“Medicines and translational research are advancing at a rapid pace.
