New England Research Institutes, Inc. (NERI) announced today that it will be the Coordinating Center for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) new Bench to Bassinet Program. As part of this innovative pediatric heart disease research initiative, NERI will ensure smooth collaboration between three key program contributors: the Cardiovascular Development Consortium (CvDC), the Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC), and an existing clinical research network, the Pediatric Heart Network (PHN).

NERI was awarded the grant to serve as the Coordinating Center for the Bench to Bassinet Program by the NHLBI, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NERI is already in its ninth year of coordinating the existing PHN, which will now become an important part of this larger consortium dedicated to furthering pediatric heart disease research.

"Congenital heart defects are the most common and life-threatening problem for newborns in the United States," said Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., director of the NHLBI. "Our Bench to Bassinet research efforts will offer new insights into how the human cardiovascular system develops and help speed the transition of promising laboratory discoveries into treatments that can save young lives."

NERI will apply its long-term experience as the data coordinating center for PHN to its broader role as organizer and manager of the various facets of the Bench to Bassinet Program, led by NERI Vice President Sharon Tennstedt. As part of its new responsibilities, NERI will provide information and data systems support, administrative and public websites, logistical and meeting support, and contractual and payment arrangements for selected core research facilities.

"We fully support the vision of the Bench to Bassinet Program and look forward to expanding the infrastructure and collaborative environment for all of its talented participants," says Lynn Sleeper, Chief Scientist at NERI. "We are so pleased that we will have the opportunity to share the experiences garnered from our years of work with the Pediatric Heart Network to help the NHLBI meet its goals for this new and very essential pediatric translational research initiative, which complements the mission of the existing successful clinical research program."

NERI has a unique understanding of the challenges and solutions associated with research in pediatric populations. Fifty percent of NERI clinical trials and registries include pediatric participants, often with rare disorders, encompassing over 22,000 subjects via 500 national and international research sites. NERI has served as the coordinating center for the NHLBI Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry since 1994, and this fall began in a similar role for an FDA-sponsored Pediatric Cardiac Device Consortium. In addition, NERI recently received a grant from the federal Small Business Innovation Research program to develop a CME program prototype focused on pediatric sleep. NERI's pediatric credentials also include the development of the No More Hand-Me-Downs campaign for the NHLBI. The program is designed to raise awareness and educate parents about pediatric clinical research. For more information visit: nhlbi.nih/childrenandclinicalstudies/index.php.

About the NHLBI Bench to Bassinet Program

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recognizes the need to accelerate the translation of basic research findings into clinical studies and trials, and to provide clinical input on pressing needs for basic research. To accomplish this goal, the NHLBI established an innovative translational research program in pediatric cardiovascular disease, the Bench to Bassinet Program, which will include:

- The Cardiovascular Development Consortium (CvDC) will generate and disseminate comprehensive data about the molecular networks and pathways that regulate cardiovascular development.

- The Pediatric Cardiac Genomics Consortium (PCGC) will identify genetic and epigenetic causes of human congenital heart disease, and relate genetic variants present in the congenital heart disease patient population to clinical outcomes.

- The Pediatric Heart Network (PHN) conducts clinical research studies to evaluate treatments for and associated outcomes of pediatric patients with complex congenital heart disease and other cardiac conditions.

Source
New England Research Institutes, Inc.