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Research and innovation represent both a great challenge and a great opportunity for Meyer. Our aim is to create an atmosphere in which clinical problems meet with scientific knowledge, resulting in innovative, practical solutions and improvements in pediatric care. Meyer is a ground-breaking hospital set in welcoming natural surroundings, where advanced technology and a genuine dedication to care are equally at home. The hospital recognizes that research and innovation are an intrinsic part of its mission and essential for the development of new treatments to benefit young patients.

Meyer has been involved in medical research for over a century, since pediatrics was first recognized as a field of medical science. Treatments that have improved countless children’s lives around the world have been researched and developed at Meyer over the years. Some of the most historic examples include contributions made by some of the fathers of modern pediatrics, such as Prof. Giuseppe Mya and his crucial study of tuberculosis and Dr. Carlo Colomba, famous for his research into infantile neurology and for his part in spreading the diphtheria vaccine – which halved the mortality rate among children admitted to hospital. Moreover, here’s Prof. Cesare Cocchi who, immediately after World War 1, made vast steps forward in the fight against tuberculous meningitis, gaining international recognition for himself and Meyer.

Meyer has come a long way since then and, building on this solid foundation, the hospital aims to work on consolidating and developing this role in the future. Research The professionals working at Meyer all firmly believe in reaching the highest possible standards in their research in order to help the hospital’s young patients. This vision includes a commitment to promote academic and industrial partnerships. Thanks to the support of experts in these areas, our researchers are able to use advanced methods and technology to:

  • Understand, prevent and halt the progression of childhood diseases
  • Develop new and improved diagnostic tools
  • Pave the way for innovative treatments and therapies
  • Carry out high-level clinical studies on medicines and therapies
  • Evaluate how diseases progress and the impact of treatment

By specializing in a wide range of clinical fields, Meyer is uniquely placed to carry out research into the most complex and rarest childhood diseases. The hospital has a series of ongoing research projects, from observational studies to the clinical experimentation of certain medicines.
Meyer is a university hospital and, as such, is also deeply committed to training the next generation of researchers and working hard to support them during the early stages of their careers. The hospital runs a ‘Young Researcher’ program (now in its third year), which includes trainee nurses and health technicians. Innovation For Meyer, clinical and assistance-based problems are treated as opportunities to grow and develop, and as a chance to guarantee the hospital a leadership role in the future of modern pediatrics. Meyer promotes interdisciplinary collaboration through a non-traditional approach that safeguards the most promising projects and increases the impact of research results when applied as real-life medical innovations.

Meyer researchers work side by side with services in order to maximize project potential. The atmosphere is such that experts from different fields, disciplines and institutions are encouraged to work together to develop new projects to improve child health care.

Our objectives are as follows:

  • To create an atmosphere that promotes collaboration and innovation
  • To make the most of the resources available and to encourage relevant partnerships with industry to facilitate the communication of research results
  • To facilitate innovation to improve the care available

Scientific research and patient care go hand in hand at Meyer, as has already been demonstrated by the various patents and licensing agreements concerning, for example, the serotypization of streptococcus pneumonia, diagnosis through metabolite blood testing, the diagnosis of succinylacetone and screening for a lack of adenosine deaminases. The hospital’s Centro di Immunologia Pediatrica (Paediatric Immunology Centre) has received prestigious recognition from the Jeffrey Modell Foundation for its research into early immunodeficiency. Patents Meyer Children's Hospital is committed to maximizing the results of its research activities in order to ensure that scientific innovations have a concrete impact on improving pediatric healthcare. The hospital holds rights to a number of patents and is actively seeking to build relationships with industrial partners for their further development.

Please click here for a list of our patents. International partnerships Nobody can solve the tough challenges posed by pediatric care by themselves. Building long-term relationships and partnerships is fundamental and the only way to make new discoveries that, in turn, can lead to improvements in the care of young patients. That’s why Meyer is dedicated to promoting international partnerships that result in innovation and ensure that our vision to create a healthier future for our children becomes a reality.

Thanks to this approach, and our serious commitment to scientific research and clinical activity, Meyer is part of the international Children’s Hospital Association. The hospital also has strong ties with two of the best children’s treatment centers in the world, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Also fundamental to the hospital’s research work today is the Centro di Salute Globale (CSG), a regional multi-disciplinary group based at Meyer. The CSG studies the link between globalization and health, looking at issues such as equality, human rights, sustainability, diplomacy and international collaboration, as well as focusing on themes such as international cooperation concerning health issues. The hospital is able to develop numerous projects, including humanitarian ones, through the CSG.