The Manchester paediatric ECMC is based at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RMCH) in Central Manchester. RMCH is also the lead centre for the paediatric network. RMCH is one of the largest children’s hospitals in the UK, and provides paediatric haematology and oncology services to Greater Manchester, Lancashire, South Cumbria, and parts of North Cheshire and West Derbyshire. RMCH is an Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer in Europe (ITCC) recognised First-in-Child centre with considerable expertise in running early phase, translational and pharmacology studies in children.
We have a dedicated research nurse team, who are very experienced in the delivery of all phases of clinical trials for children. The research nurse team take the lead on tissue banking in both leukaemia and solid tumour patients, and they aim to recruit all of their patients to the national leukaemia and solid tumour banks.
The RMCH also have a research active stem cell transplant unit that is one of two in the UK performing stem cell transplants for inherited metabolic disease. It has the full range of specialised services needed for successful conduct of early phase trials, including an on-site clinical trials pharmacy, and there is a team of 10 consultants, several of whom have lead or are leading national and international trials, and 3 research nurses.
Three of the consultant team are University of Manchester academics, and the Centre for Paediatric, Teenage, and Young Adult Cancer, hosted by the Institute of Cancer Sciences, has a number of research programmes that relate closely to the clinic. There are also have close links and ongoing collaborative projects with other centres within the Institute, particularly in the areas of biomarker development and immunotherapy.
At RMCH there is a close relationship with the paediatric ECMCs in Liverpool and Leeds, and these Centres work together to ensure that they offer the maximum range of early phase trials to the children of the North West and Yorkshire.
Our patient population:
RMCH has a long history of treating children in early phase clinical trials, and the research nurse team are experienced in the management of these patients. RMCH is a new purpose built Children’s Hospital that opened in 2009. Children with leukaemia and solid tumours are treated on ward 84, and on the adjacent dedicated day case and outpatient units.
Children under 16 years are treated at RMCH, 16 to 24 year olds are treated at the Young Oncology Unit at the Christie Hospital.
Organisations affiliated with Manchester ECMC:
All hospital Trust in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria. University of Manchester, University of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Central Lancashire, University of Lancaster.
Our location:
North West England. Manchester has a major international airport, and excellent road and rail links to the rest of the UK.