Research and Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are research studies that test whether a new medicine, device or treatment is safe and effective. Many children with cancer and blood disorders come to Seattle Children's from all over the world to take part in research studies of new options that are available only through clinical trials.

The children and young adults we treat have access to clinical trials through our:

• Leadership in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), the world’s largest consortium of childhood cancer specialists.
• Participation in elite research networks that create and test phase 1 and other early treatments. This means your care team has the widest possible range of trials to consider when recommending options for your child.
• Nonprofit, in-house biotech enterprise, Seattle Children’s Therapeutics. Its capabilities range from research support, to clinical trial management, to a “Cure Factory” that makes chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatments specific to a child’s cancer. These include T-cell therapies developed in collaboration with the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research that use the immune system to fight cancer.
• Center for Clinical and Translational Research, which works to transform scientific discoveries into real-world therapies.
• Partnership with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. 

• Find clinical trials for cancer and blood disorders

  To learn about clinical trials at Seattle Children’s:

  • Call us at 206-987-2106 or toll free at 866-987-2000. Our team can also consult with your doctor or provide a second opinion.
  • Email us.
  • Find many clinical trials offered at Seattle Children’s on our Current Research Studies page or on ClinicalTrials.gov. Read our guide about searching for trials on ClinicalTrials.gov (PDF).
  • Check for bone marrow transplant clinical trials on Fred Hutch’s clinical trials page.
• Learn how to participate in clinical trials
  • Get answers to common questions about taking part in research, including how we protect your child’s health and safety during research.
  • Read Dr. Abby Rosenberg’s blog post about deciding whether to participate in a clinical trial: Clinical Trials: What Would You Do If It Were Your Child?
• Early-stage clinical trials (phase 1)

  Our physician-scientists work with experts across the globe to create new treatment options and test them in early studies, called phase 1 clinical trials. We develop and offer early-stage clinical trials through industry partnerships and our membership in:

  • COG’s Pediatric Early Phase-Clinical Trial Network. Seattle Children’s and 20 other childhood cancer programs in the United States were selected through a peer review process. The physician-scientists do lab research and study new treatments to find more effective therapies with fewer side effects.
  • New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT). Seattle Children’s doctors are leaders within NANT. We are the only center in the Pacific Northwest that belongs to it. NANT works to find new therapies for patients with neuroblastoma that is not well controlled by treatment (refractory) or that comes back (relapsed). The goal is to cure more children with advanced neuroblastoma with fewer side effects.
  • Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia (TACL). This group of children’s hospitals and universities develops phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials for recurrent childhood leukemia and lymphoma. TACL combines lab research with early-phase clinical trials to speed the progress of developing new therapies for children.
  • Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC). This network of 15 children’s hospitals studies and tests new therapies for children with brain tumors. PNOC tests new therapies that are specific to the biology of each patient’s tumor. The goal is to improve cure rates and reduce side effects of treatment.
  • Cancer Immunotherapy Trials Network (CITN). Top academic immunologists at member clinics in North America work together to study experimental cancer immunotherapies and test novel agents in early-phase clinical trials.
• Types of studies we do

  Our physician-scientists do studies to:

  • Better understand how different diseases start, develop and progress
  • Test new treatments or combinations of treatments
  • Learn who’s at risk for cancer and blood disorders
  • Find the best supportive therapies
  • Reduce side effects of therapy and the long-term effects of cancer and its treatment
  • Identify the health and behavior patterns that may affect cancer risk, through the National Cancer Institute’s Connect for Cancer Prevention Study

  Seattle Children’s conducts phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials for children and young adults with many kinds and stages of cancer or blood disorders, including those who:

  • Have just been diagnosed
  • Are already in treatment
  • Have cancer that has returned