The Avera Research Institute Center for Pediatric and Community Research received a $1.9 million grant https://avera.org/innovation-research/research/pediatric-community-research to join the nationwide ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) partnership https://echochildren.org/idea-states-pediatric-clinical-trials-network through NIH https://www.nih.gov.
Infants and children living in rural areas and states are less likely than children living in other states to have a chance to enroll in clinical research especially in clinical trials. To meet the need for children, the ECHO Program paired with the IDeA States program to create ECHO’s interventional branch of research to be known as ISPCTN to ensure that children in states with historically low NIH funding will have access to clinical trials as part of ECHO.
As Avera enters the ECHO ISPCTN, this makes South Dakota the 18th state to join the clinical trials network. As part of the network, Avera, South Dakota tribal leaders and health organizations in western South Dakota will work together and create partnerships with other academic institutions to form new centers for pediatric research and conduct clinical trials focused on a wide range of pediatric health conditions.
The Data Coordinating and Operations Center (DCOC) within ECHO ISPCTN, manages data coordination, technical instruction, data standards, quality control and assurance, and provides operational coordination for ECHO ISPCTN clinical trials.
One study Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) involves studying what affects a child’s growth, is it more than just DNA? What contributes to doing well in school, along with weight gain and the risk for developing asthma?
The goal for this study is also to also look at sleep, nutrition, allergens, and social relationships to see how these influences affect children both prenatally and after birth. Five specific key outcomes will be studied to include upper and lower airway conditions, such as asthma, obesity, neurodevelopment, including ADHD, autism, pre, and peri, and postnatal outcomes such as prematurity along with positive health factors.
“Research of this kind builds long lasting clinical research and systems that help children, not just in South Dakota, but nationwide,” said Jessica Snowden, MD, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Principal Investigator for the ISPCTN Data Coordinating & Operations Center. “We are excited to expand the network and to see the many ways Avera research and clinical teams can increase our knowledge of health conditions that affect children.
For questions about ECHO ISPCTN, email askDCOC@uams.edu