Paediatric Non-Medicines Research
What is Paediatric Non Medicines Research (PNMR)?
The MCRN only supports paediatric research involving or relating to medicines. Non medicinal paediatric research that is eligible for the NIHR study portfolio is now termed Paediatric Non Medicines Research (PNMR) and is a new specialty group within the Comprehensive Research Network. PNMR does not include cancer as these studies fall within the National Cancer Research Network.
A bulletin about PNMR can be downloaded here
What does this mean locally?
At a local level, PNMR activity is funded via local Comprehensive Research Networks which award money according to activity, i.e. recruitment into PNMR studies. In our region, both the Greater Manchester and the Cumbria & Lancashire Comprehensive Local Research Networks have identified PNMR as an area they wish to invest in and have encouraged our network to oversee both MCRN and PNMR.
This joined up approach to paediatric research will allow us to use the experience and infrastructure of our network to support the PNMR portfolio and offer a less confusing backdrop for conducting research in children in our region.
We aim to offer similar services as for our MCRN portfolio, such as support for study development; approvals; set up; study management (dependent on resources available) and training.
What is on the PNMR portfolio?
We can only support NIHR portfolio studies and so adoption of eligible studies onto the NIHR PNMR portfolio is crucial as it allows us to provide support and attract additional funding from the local Comprehensive Research Networks for this activity. We are still seeking suitable locally developed studies to submit for adoption, so please get in touch if you are involved in such a study. In time, we also hope to be able to offer local sites the opportunity to take part in multi-centred studies in the same way as for our MCRN portfolio.
Our region has significant PNMR activity, much of it led out of Manchester. However, the cross cutting nature of paediatrics means that many PNMR studies are co-adopted with other adult based specialty groups (e.g. respiratory). More children are recruited into PNMR studies in our region than MCRN, as most PNMR studies are not interventional.
Our local portfolio of PNMR studies in the region can be viewed below.
| Acronym | Study Title | Site | PI | Status |
| Baby wipes | Baby Skin Care Research Programme: assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial comparing impregnated cleansing wipes with water in infants | St Mary's Hospital | Lavender, Dr Tina | Open |
| CAPS | A Prospective Study of Childhood Onset Inflammatory Arthritis (Childhood Arthritis Prospective Study) | Royal Manchester Children's Hospital | Cheng, Dr Alice | Open |
| CHIP Sub-study | A sub-study of the Control of Hyperglycaemia in Paediatric Intensive Care (CHiP) trial | Royal Manchester Children's Hospital | Fortune, Dr Peter-Marc | Open |
| Communication development of children with motor disorders | Predicting the development of communication skills by children with motor disorders | Salford PCT | Pennington, Dr Lindsay | Open |
| DRN233 Children's growth study | Manchester Children's Heart and Growth Study | Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility | Cruickshank, Professor Kennedy | Open |
| Evaluation of local safeguarding children boards | Evaluation of the effectiveness of the new local safeguarding children boards | Manchester PCT | France, Prof. Alan | Open |
| Eye tracking as a measure of young infants’ knowledge of objects | Eye tracking as a measure of young infants’ knowledge of objects | |||
| IBD Telephone Follow Up Study | Telephone consultation as a substitute for routine out-patient face-to-face consultation for children with inflammatory bowel disease: randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation. | Royal Manchester Children's Hospital | Akobeng, Dr Anthony | Open |
| IFWIN | Inhaled fluiticasone in wheezy infants | Wythenshawe Hospital | Murray, Dr Clare | Open |
| Looking after number one: My care, My say | Evaluating self-care support for children and young people with long-term conditions | Kirk, Dr Susan | Open | |
| MAAS Intervention Study | Primary prevention of asthma and allergy by allergen avoidance in high risk infants | Wythenshawe Hospital | Murray, Dr Clare | Open |
| MAAS Observation Study | A birth cohort study investigating the development of asthma and allergic disease | Wythenshawe Hospital | Murray, Dr Clare | Open |
| MANCAS2 | Manchester Community Asthma Study Phase 2 | Wythenshawe Hospital | Frank, Dr Tim | Open |
| Moving Care Closer To Home | An evaluation of the costs and effects of different models of caring for acutely ill children at home | Royal Manchester Children's Hospital | Callery, Prof. Peter | Open |
| STELAR | Genetic and environmental influences on childhood asthma: STELAR (Study Team for Early Life Asthma Research) collaboration | Wythenshawe Hospital | Custovic , Professor Adnan | Open |
| Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome | National Study of Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome in Childhood | Royal Manchester Children's Hospital | Saleem, Prof Moin | In Set-up |


