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The Kids Research Institute Australia

At The Kids, our vision is simple - happy healthy kids. Our goal is to make a real difference in our community to benefit children and families everywhere. Our values underpin the way we work and make decisions: collaboration, courage, evidence, respect.

First Nations Health and Equity

Aboriginal health is everyone's business. The needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and kids is integrated into all relevant areas of our work. Improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids and families is an overarching priority for every team at The Kids.

Kulunga Aboriginal Unit

Facilitate research interest & opportunities that involve Aboriginal families & communities and build the capacity and development of Institute researchers

Pharmacological inhibition of sclerostin protects bone from B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia-mediated destruction

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common pediatric cancer. Current therapeutic regimens have improved 5-year event-free survival rates to 90%, however clinical outcomes for high-risk subgroups, such as BCR-ABL1+ B-ALL and relapsed ALL, remain poor. In addition, 16% of newly diagnosed children with ALL present with vertebral compression fractures. Moreover, 16% of children with ALL undergoing glucocorticoid therapy also experience a high incidence of vertebral fractures, indicating that bone health may be compromised by both leukemia progression and osteotoxicity of chemotherapy.

Auditory-cued exercise therapy (ACET) in 7–12-year-old children with listening difficulties–a feasibility and pilot trial protocol

(Central) Auditory Processing Disorder ([C]APD) is an umbrella term for children who have difficulty with listening, despite normal hearing. Children with (C)APD frequently experience academic, behavioural, emotional, cognitive and social difficulties, and lack accessible, long-lasting wholistic treatments. Hence, a transdisciplinary intervention has been developed – Auditory-Cued Exercise Therapy. 

The AuTOMATIC trial: a multicentre digitally-automated, Bayesian, adaptive, parallel, factorial randomised controlled trial of SMS reminders for childhood vaccination

The estimated effectiveness of SMS (short message service) reminders for improving childhood vaccine coverage and timeliness has varied in previous studies. The observed heterogeneity in effectiveness may be explained in part by variation in reminder content or timing of the reminder relative to the vaccine schedule date. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of SMS reminders of varied content and timing for improving on-time childhood vaccination.

Distinct Enterovirus Antigen Landscape in Children With Islet Autoimmunity

Enteroviruses (EVs) have long been implicated in the development of islet autoimmunity (IA) and type 1 diabetes. However, given the ubiquity of EV infections in children, disease susceptibility is likely driven by host-specific immune responses rather than viral exposure alone.

“It Makes You Feel Like Not Sending Your Kids to School”: Aboriginal Parents’ Experiences of the Transition to School

The transition to formal schooling is a critical milestone in a child’s development. For Aboriginal children, early experiences are shaped by both cultural strengths and enduring impacts of colonisation. This study explored factors influencing Aboriginal families’ transition-to-school experiences in an urban Western Australian community.

Cost-Effectiveness of Oral Immunotherapy Treatments vs No Treatment for Peanut Allergy in Children

The first peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) for children was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020. While clinical efficacy is established, evidence on cost-effectiveness-whether the benefits outweigh the costs and adverse effects-remains limited. A variant of OIT, known as probiotic and peanut OIT (PPOIT), has shown similar efficacy in trials.