Children's Health

Cystic Fibrosis Care Center at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Joins Cystic Fibrosis Foundation National Research Network

Designation Provides Patients Access to Latest Treatments

The’Cystic Fibrosis Care Center‘at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital was awarded a research grant of $75,600 to study cystic fibrosis therapies and treatments. The grant comes from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc., an affiliate of the’Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The annual grant provides cystic fibrosis (CF) patients at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital access to the latest CF treatments through the Therapeutics Development Network (TDN), a specialized network of research centers throughout the country. CF is a life-threatening genetic disease affecting the lungs and digestive system of approximately 30,000 children and adults worldwide.

“We congratulate the Cystic Fibrosis Care Center at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital on joining a network of premier clinical trial facilities,” said Preston W. Campbell, III, MD, executive vice president of medical affairs for the CF Foundation. “These centers will help CF drugs move more swiftly from the research and testing stages into the hands of patients who need them.”

Care for patients with CF has dramatically improved during the past 50 years. In 1950, children with CF rarely lived long enough to attend elementary school. Today, thanks to advances in research and care, the median age of a patient with CF is 37 years.

“It is imperative we continue to research CF care and treatment,” said John Schuen, MD, division chief, pulmonary and sleep medicine, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. “What was once a death sentence is now a much more manageable disease. The CF community has made remarkable progress and with continued collaborative studies, I predict we will see increasing numbers of patients with CF living well into their 50s and 60s.”

The grant will support several clinical trials, including:

  • Phase I, II and III trials for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies
  • Studies to evaluate possible new outcome measures and new therapeutic approaches or other studies which could provide insight into how CF develops
  • Phase III trials of FDA-approved therapeutic agents being newly introduced into the CF population

Studies funded by this grant are in addition to nine other studies already underway at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and supported by clinical research staff.

With this grant, the CF Care Center at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital joins a network of 77 care centers across the country responsible for facilitating safe, rapid and coordinated evaluation of new treatments for CF. The medical team currently cares for 250 children and adults with CF.’

Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is West Michigan’s largest children’s hospital, serving children and families throughout a 37-county region. A teaching hospital, it includes more than 150 pediatric specialty physicians uniquely skilled in providing medical and surgical care to children in more than 40 pediatric specialties. The hospital cares for more than 7,600 inpatients and 190,000 outpatients annually. Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is committed to caring for children and families with compassion, excellence and innovation.’ Visit devoschildrens.org for more information.