Why aren more hospitals members of NANT?
NANT is a consortium designed to test drugs that have not been studied in children with neuroblastoma. This requires a tightly knit group of expert physicians skilled in noting and reporting side effects, with appropriate investigational pharmacists, research nurses, and clinical research associates to administer often complex protocols and do the appropriate testing of the pharmacokinetics and biologic effects as well as side effects and response. This is an expensive process, and in addition to the requisite expertise, it requires a centrally funded office to coordinate data and enrollment, monitor toxicity and work with pharmaceutical companies. The National Cancer Institute supports the NANT, but only covers less than half of the expense of doing these clinical trials. Addition of more institutions means that more monitoring and expense is involved to coordinate the trials.
