Partner 4: St George's Hospital Medical School (SGUL)
St George’s Hospital and Medical School are a combined site with research interests encompassing a spectrum from leading-edge fundamental investigations to applied clinical and Health Services research and a core theme of Infectious Diseases. St George's achieved excellent ratings in the last UK Research Assessment Exercise. The Paediatric Infectious Diseases Unit (PIDU) is part of SGUL with a focus on perinatal infection, vaccinology, and optimising antimicrobial management in children. The unit has been a member of the PENTA network for many years recruiting into PENTA trials. The unit is the lead centre for NeoNIN – a UK wide network of neonatal infection. The unit has close collaboration with the Health Protection Agency. Within SGUL the PIDU collaborates with the Microbiology department which has a major research interest in PCR and Micro-array technology. The PIDU set up and now leads a Neonatal Infection Network – NeoNIN, the first UK-based, active, neonatal infection surveillance network. The network was established in 2004 in 4 neonatal units and now consists of 15 units. Other relevant surveillance experience includes national surveillance studies on Haemophilus influenzae and Group B streptococcus.
Dr Sharland is the Chair of the Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN) Infectious Diseases Clinical Study group – conducting clinical trials in antimicrobials in the UK. The MCRN has been created to improve the co-ordination, speed and quality of randomised controlled trials and other well designed studies of medicines for children and adolescents. The Network has extensive knowledge and experience of paediatric research, and supports non-commercial, pharmaceutical/biotech-sponsored and investigator-led partnership studies in over 100 NHS sites in England that serve approximately 6 million children. In the UK the meningitis WP would be run through the MCRN. The trial would require formal adoption, but preliminary discussion has met with clear approval of the trial. 23 neonatal units have so far agreed to participate through the neonatal and infection MCRN Trial Networks.
Dr Sharland is the Chair of the Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN) Infectious Diseases Clinical Study group – conducting clinical trials in antimicrobials in the UK. The MCRN has been created to improve the co-ordination, speed and quality of randomised controlled trials and other well designed studies of medicines for children and adolescents. The Network has extensive knowledge and experience of paediatric research, and supports non-commercial, pharmaceutical/biotech-sponsored and investigator-led partnership studies in over 100 NHS sites in England that serve approximately 6 million children. In the UK the meningitis WP would be run through the MCRN. The trial would require formal adoption, but preliminary discussion has met with clear approval of the trial. 23 neonatal units have so far agreed to participate through the neonatal and infection MCRN Trial Networks.