connect 2018 • 12 70 TRIALS AND STUDIES ARE UNDERWAY AT OUR LADY’S, CRUMLIN AND NATIONAL CHILDREN’S RESEARCH CENTRE INTO CHILD HEALTH MARKERS, NEW DRUGS, NEW APPROACHES, NEW MEDICAL DEVICES, AND OTHER INNOVATIONS 1 IN19PEOPLE CARRY THE CYSTIC FIBROSIS GENE IN IRELAND (1 IN 27–PEOPLE CARRY THE CYSTIC FIBROSIS GENE IN THE UNITED STATES) SUPPORTING KEY RESEARCH: THE NATIONAL CHILDREN’S RESEARCH CENTRE (NCRC) Additional support from The Ireland Funds has enabled great inroads to be made in cystic fibrosis research following signifi- cant support from an Ireland Funds’ donor in 2013 and 2014. The new children’s hospital and new era of paediatric healthcare offers great opportunity, and the bar has now been set based on what has been made possible by these projects at Crumlin. Equally, we have a significant job to do in the com- ing years to increase the investment into paediatric research so that the 600,000 children who come to Crumlin between now and then don’t have to wait for clinical trials, breakthroughs, and progress and to build the capacity and community of world-class researchers at the NCRC preparing for the increased capacity and opportunity at the new children’s hospital from 2022. There are exciting developments in psycho-social supports for children who are ill. CMRF Crumlin and our donors are sup- porting sick children and their parents across the patient jour- ney with play therapy, distraction technologies, psycho-social supports and complementary therapies. There is much more to do now and into the future in this area. With 1 in 100 globally still born with structural heart defect, 250 heart transplants a year in Ireland, 40,000 children in the US undergoing cancer treatment in a year, and rare and complex diseases stopping children surviving and living to their potential, we are committed to significant further investment in innovation, and tackling rare and complex diseass so that every child has the best possible outcomes.