There is a large amount of clinical research activity in the Cambridge University Hospitals Trust involving children. There is also a strong translational research agenda on the Addenbrooke’s campus, which is often focused on the genetic/environmental determinants of common and rare childhood diseases.
Although it may be challenging, we need research involving children. Disease and disorders in children may differ fundamentally from those encountered in adults and have to be understood in terms of the growing and developing child. We cannot assume that children are “small adults” and the pharmacological properties of drugs and their effectiveness may relate to physiological changes during childhood and are not always directly related to body size. Increasingly, early childhood origins of adult disease are being recognised and successful prevention of many adult diseases may need to start in childhood.
While our instinct may be to protect children, their participation in research is essential to refine the treatments they receive and reduce harm from dangerous or ineffective drugs or other interventions. Where conditions are only encountered or have a fatal outcome during childhood, it is imperative that we encourage active research into potential interventions, even if the disease or condition is rare.