Children's Clinical Research Center

Our physicians and scientists work with families and children who participate in clinical trials to find new therapies, medicines and technologies that improve healthcare. In a given year, we conduct hundreds of clinical studies, involving thousands of children who come to the Children’s Clinical Research Center (CCRC)—one of the largest and busiest pediatric research centers in the country.

Located on the campus of Riley at IU Health, the CCRC is the primary site for most clinical research done by physician-scientists at Riley at IU Health, the Department of Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. Our relationship with the CCRC has contributed to some of the greatest achievements in pediatric medicine. This collaboration is the only one of its kind in Indiana, and it is one of the factors that rank us among the nation’s best pediatric research hospitals.

Today’s most effective treatments are a direct result of basic laboratory research at institutions like the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research at the IU School of Medicine. We work closely with the Wells Center to verify findings in their laboratory studies. Information flows back and forth between our researchers to develop better understanding in the early stages of research.

Once those insights are approved for translational study (use on humans) and clinical research, the ideas come to us, where scientists and physicians can begin using them with real-world patients. Innovation would not be possible without altruistic families who volunteer to help us find answers that could improve their health and offer better options to other children.

The extent of our influence on pediatric health is shown by decades of participation in peer-reviewed, external research, supported by numerous institutes, research networks and health organizations, including:

• National Institutes of Health
• American Cancer Society
• American Heart Association
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

As one of the nation’s top medical schools for funded pediatric healthcare research, the IU School of Medicine fosters discovery among physician-scientists who care for children at Riley at IU Health. Both organizations invest in our nationally-recognized infrastructure, and we draw significant funding for research that covers every aspect of children’s health, including cancer, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, genetic disorders, congenital heart disease and many others.

The Children’s Clinical Research Center helps us attract funding for pediatric research because it demonstrates that we have both the creative ideas and the infrastructure to support it.