A research centre in Cork has received funding of almost €1 million to improve clinical trials of treatments for babies and young children.
The funding, which is part of a €140m commitment by the EU and pharmaceutical companies, will go to the INFANT research centre at University College Cork.
The centre is funded by Science Foundation Ireland and will be a lead centre in a network of Irish researchers coordinated by Clinical Research Development Ireland.
Researchers in the network are convinced they can achieve better outcomes by developing new medicines and therapies specifically for babies and children through clinical trials.
At present, sick children generally receive smaller doses of adult medicines, or diluted version of therapies, as they have not been specifically developed and trialled on children.
Approximately 60% of medicines and therapies used to treat children have not been studied in children and more than 90% have not been studied in infants.
