Issue 29 | November 2019
Hello and happy fall from PTN!

Fall always seems to bring a sense of gratitude, doesn't it? The change in seasons gives us the chance to reflect on the year and appreciate just how much we've accomplished.

I am thankful to share that PTN has made great accomplishments this quarter. Mercy babyTAPE, developed by Dr. Susan Abdel-Rahman, has been approved for marketing, a new project aiming to address critical health and quality-of-life needs for children with Down syndrome has been awarded, study milestones have been met, and more.

As always, thank you for your support of PTN. Your commitment to our mission of informing formulation, dosing, efficacy, and safety of drugs and medical devices used in pediatric patients makes a huge impact. I look forward to all that is to come in 2020.
Danny Benjamin, MD, PhD, MPH
Mercy babyTAPE Approved for Marketing
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved marketing of Mercy babyTAPE. Developed by PTN’s Dr. Susan Abdel-Rahman ( pictured left ) of Children’s Mercy Hospital, the Mercy babyTAPE device is intended for use by health care professionals to estimate the body weight of infants from birth to 90 days of age.

The approved marketing of Mercy babyTAPE is a substantial accomplishment in PTN’s quest to improve healthcare for children by determining optimal dosing of commonly used medications.
New Project Highlight: INCLUDE
PTN has received an award to contribute to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH)   INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE)   project.

The project aims to address critical health and quality-of-life needs for children with Down syndrome, both to accelerate the development of new therapies for individuals with Down syndrome and to include them in ongoing clinical trials.
Timolol Study Completes Patient Enrollment
Timolol has increasingly been used for the treatment of Infantile Hemangiomas (IH), commonly called "strawberry" birthmarks, on infants' skin. However, little is known regarding the safety of timolol's use.

To help close the existing knowledge gap, PTN investigators have enrolled approximately 110 children in the Efficacy, Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Topical Timolol in Infants with Infantile Hemangioma (TIM01) study.
New Process for Sharing Data and Samples

Have you heard? PTN has a new process for requesting access to samples and/or data from its studies for additional testing. An investigator must access data and samples directly from the NIH Data and Specimen Hub (DASH) . See the PTN Data Sharing page for more information.
Interested in
Participating in PTN Studies?
Currently enrolling:
Learn more about each study via the links below

Recruiting soon:
  • Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Safety Profile of Understudied Drugs Administered to Children per Standard of Care (POP02)
  • Pharmacokinetics and Safety Profile of Terbutaline Sulfate in Children with Bronchospasm Secondary to Acute Severe Asthma Exacerbation (TBS)
  • Safety, Preliminary Effectiveness, and Pharmacokinetics (PK) of Drugs in Infants (Preemie Platform)