About Paediatric Rheumatology

Welcome to the online resource center for the FMF Arthritis Vasculitis and Orphan disease Research in Paediatric Rheumatology (Trials-Network). Trials-Network is a not for profit, non governmental, international research network founded in 2011. The aim of Trials-Network is to carry out high quality multicenter clinical trials promote studies in children with rheumatic conditions especially with those stated in its name. Trials-Network also aims to have working collaborations with PRINTO, PRCSG and CARRA.

Trials-Network offers its facilities, registry and analysis for researchers who wish to design, launch and manage multi-centered, multi-national, collaborative studies in the aforementioned topics.

If you are a pediatric rheumatologist and would like to apply for membership then please visit the "Membership Application" section. If you are a patient or the family of a patient with a rheumatic disease, use the link provided for PRINTO.

The Trials-Network in Pediatric Rheumatology was founded in 2011 by Erkan Demirkaya, MD, MSc and Seza Özen, MD initially as a consortium of the centers in Turkey, east Europe and Asia with over 20 academic clinical pediatric rheumatology centers whose chief aim is to conduct high quality clinical trials in children with rheumatic diseases.

The spectrum of pediatric rheumatic diseases is very large and includes many rare diseases as well. The pediatric rheumatic diseases are not only associated with significant morbidity and mortality but they also have a large impact on the quality of life of the affected individuals as well. They maybe potentially associated with high costs as well. We need multicenter and reliable registries and studies to establish the best management of these children. Thus there is a need to conduct high quality clinical trials to foster, facilitate and co-ordinate the development, conduct, analysis, and reporting of multi-centers, international clinical trials and/or outcome standardization studies.

The Trials-Network is governed by a set of Bylaws that are overseen by an Advisory Council (AC). The chief functions of the Advisory Council are to provide leadership and guidance for the Trials-Network in the following areas: identification and facilitation of research areas most likely to be successful and clinically useful; seeking of funded support for the groups research efforts; management and quality assurance of the Trials-Network's membership, its scientific studies, statistical analyses, databases generated, and publications. Membership of the Council consists of the Chair, Seza Özen, MD,; Scientific Director, Erkan Demirkaya, MD, MSc; an epidemiologist (or biostatistician) Cengizhan Acikel, MD,; Chair of the Turkish Pediatric Rheumatology Society; a Representative from the eastern European and Asian countries and suggested honorary members from PRINTO, PRCSG and CARRA (total 8).