Biomarkers can be influential in every phase of drug development, from drug discovery and preclinical evaluations, through each phase of clinical trials and into post-marketing studies. Despite the recognised importance and use of biomarkers in medical practice, there is a relative dearth of validated paediatric biomarkers. The use of many of the biomarkers which have been identified and employed successfully in adults is extrapolated to children, although disease pathogenesis is often different in the two groups and ontogeny influences drug response and disease development.
This work package aims to identify the barriers that hinder the advancement of paediatric biomarkers to the same extent as adult biomarkers and to propose the design of a platform that will generate optimal conditions for the development and use of paediatric biomarkers, with particular emphasis on enhancing the potential of -omics science in paediatrics. A gap analysis on the available tools and their accessibility will identify the required resources for the paediatric research community This Platform will be set up in collaboration with the existing RIs and in particular BBMRI-ERIC and its expert centres.
This Work Package is coordinated by BBMRI-ERIC and CING.
The reference person for this WP is Angelica Intini ([email protected]).