NHMRC Funds BabyCCINO Trial

Professor Brett Manley from the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health has been awarded a $3 million grant through the NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies (CTCS) scheme to lead the BabyCCINO trial, an adaptive trial of caffeine dosing to improve outcomes for very preterm infants.

Dr Kate HodgsonPictured: Dr Kate Hodgson

The BabyCCINO researchers, which also include Department members Associate Professor Clare Whitehead, Dr Kate Hodgson, Professor Peter Davis, and Professor Jeanie Cheong, along with other researchers, are investigating the best dosage of caffeine treatment for very preterm babies, of which previous research revealed is one of the best medications to help with breathing and benefits that persist into later childhood.

The intended outcomes of the Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Grant scheme are improvements in health and well-being, healthcare and practice or policy, as a result of:

  • High-quality clinical trials that provide reliable evidence of the effects of health-related interventions on health outcomes (or appropriate surrogates).
  • High-quality cohort studies that provide reliable evidence on the relation of important risk factors and other exposures to health-related outcomes.
  • High quality retrospective cohort studies that provide reliable evidence on the relation of important risk factors and other exposures to health-related outcomes.

An investment of over $79 million will support high quality clinical trials and cohort studies that address important gaps in knowledge, with potential for significant health benefits.