International collaboration drives progress for Precision Child Health

With inequitable access to genomic testing around the world, international partnerships may be the key to accelerating accurate diagnoses and therapeutic options for patients and families, according to a new report in npj Genomic Medicine. 

The International Precision Child Health Partnership (IPCHiP) is comprised of four of the world’s leading paediatric hospitals, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Boston Children's Hospital (BCH), UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health (GOS ICH) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). Its focus is advancing genomic discovery of paediatric diseases into clinical care.  

"Working collaboratively, global partnerships can provide the infrastructure, expertise and patient numbers needed to scale up and streamline rare disease trials," says Dr. Stephen Scherer, Director of the University of Toronto McLaughlin Centre and Chief of Research at SickKids. “By unlocking pathways for innovation and enabling partnerships to flourish, we can not only maximize research impact and improve diagnoses but also create a sustainable and more equitable model for rare disease research that benefits children worldwide.” The research conducted at SickKids is supported in part by the University of Toronto McLaughlin Centre. READ MORE.