Alder Hey

Advancing Children’s Health Through Research and Innovation

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is a leading partner in the Paediatric Excellence Initiative (PEI), driving discovery and innovation in childhood inflammatory diseases and paediatric surgery through world-class translational research, clinical trials, genomics and international collaboration.

Working alongside Great Ormond Street Hospital, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, and the University of Liverpool, we are accelerating the development of personalised treatments for children and young people with rare and complex conditions.

Research Focus: Childhood Inflammation, Precision Medicine, Translational Science, Surgical Conditions, Clinical Trials.

Alder Hey’s PEI activity is built around a nationally recognised Childhood Inflammation Programme led through Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Liverpool. Since joining the PEI in 2022, the programme has secured and leveraged more than £17 million in research funding, supporting innovative projects across paediatric rheumatology, juvenile lupus, chronic inflammatory disease, nephrology, respiratory medicine and surgical research.

Areas of focus include:

• Chronic Non-Bacterial Osteomyelitis (CNO/CRMO)
• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
• Juvenile Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (jSLE)
• Respiratory Inflammation
• Kidney disease and immune-mediated conditions
• Precision and personalised medicine
• Genomic discovery and molecular diagnostics
• Systemic sclerosis and scleroderma’

Our researchers are uncovering the biological mechanisms underlying childhood inflammatory diseases and translating those discoveries into improved diagnostics and treatments.

Current programmes include:

DETECTIVE: This project investigates the genetic and molecular drivers of chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis to support the development of personalised treatment approaches.

TROJAN: Investigating the role of immune pathway disruption in juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus and associated immunodeficiency, supporting future precision medicine strategies

STAR-JIA: Improving treatment outcomes for children and young people living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

MAINTAIN: supporting research into childhood kidney disease and lupus management through collaborative funding from industry and charitable partners.

The PEI has enabled Alder Hey researchers to generate important discoveries and attract substantial additional investment in childhood inflammation research.

Key achievements include:

Supporting Early Career Researchers

The Paediatric Excellence Initiative is helping grow research capacity at Alder Hey

Recent achievements include:

• Establishment of the Alder Hey Junior Faculty
• Engagement of 18 early career researchers across Alder Hey and partner institutions
• New academic training and fellowship opportunities
• NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow and Clinical Lecturer posts
• New doctoral and postdoctoral research positions
• Dedicated support from GOSH Charity for junior research development

Patient and Public Involvement

Alder Hey plays a leading role in the Children and Young People Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (CYP PPIE) National Collaborative.

The collaborative works with children, young people and families to:

• Shape research priorities
• Improve participation in clinical studies
• Address barriers to involvement
• Co-design future research programmes

In 2025, Alder Hey hosted the second national CYP PPIE conference, bringing together representatives from 28 organisations across the UK.

Find out more about research opportunities at Alder Hey.