WHY NEGATIVE RESULTS IN CLINICAL TRIALS MATTER
International Clinical Trials Day 2026, a year in review: Trial of The Year 2025
With
Professor Brett J. Manley, Consultant Neonatologist
Mercy Hospital For Women, Melbourne &
Professor of Neonatal Medicine,
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Newborn Health,
University of Melbourne, Australia
Kate Francis, Biostatistician (Snr Research Officer)
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne &
Honorary Research Fellow,
Department of Paediatrics,
University of Melbourne &
Affiliate Biostatistician, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
Professor Christopher Reid, Chair
Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) &
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University &
School of Population Health at Curtin University,
Western Australia
A BENCH SIDE STORY SYNDICATION
Filmed in Melbourne & Perth | May 2026
Negative results in a clinical trial can be extremely valuable — both scientifically and ethically. A “negative result” usually means the treatment being tested did not work better than the standard treatment, placebo, or expected outcome.
The aim of the PLUSS trial was to find out if installation of budesonide (a steroid) with surfactant to the lungs of extremely preterm babies helps to prevent lung disease, or Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).
BPD is a chronic inflammatory lung disease characterised by disordered alveolar and vascular development, most commonly affecting extremely preterm infants exposed to mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). BPD is associated with mortality, and adverse long-term pulmonary and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Despite advances in neonatal care including antenatal corticosteroids, exogenous surfactant, and the increasing use of non-invasive respiratory support, the incidence of BPD has increased in the state of Victoria in 2005 compared with earlier eras.
Extremely preterm infants participating in the trial were monitored closely after birth and an assessment completed at 36 weeks to check for BPD. Participating infants were also followed up when they are two years old.
The trial was led by a team of researchers at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne and the Liggins Institute in Auckland, New Zealand and had 29 participating centres around the world.
In 2025 the PLUSS Trial received the Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) Trial of the Year 2025 Award as well as the ACTA STInG Excellence in Trial Statistics Award2025.
Source: Adapted from plusstrial.org website
As seen on Bench Side Story
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Interview with Kylie Ward, CEO Australian College of Nursing
Kylie Ward, CEO Australian College of Nursing spoke with Anne Dao from Australian Health Journal, at last week’s Australian Healthcare Week Expo on the vital role of the nursing professional.
Australian College of Nursing oversees 390,000 nurses in Australia and is the national leader in the nursing profession.
Changes in nursing policy are needed in areas of aged care, chronic disease and workforce sustainability. There are forecasts of shortages in nursing by the year 2025 of 80,000 and by 2030 the number growing by 125,000.
Kylie also mentioned the new Nursing Trailbrazers Award that has been recognised by Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt. The 4 finalists have been recognised for influencing models of care, and implementing game changing initiatives across the country. They will be presented at the Nursing Now Australia event held by the ACN on 9th April.
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ARCS Annual Conference 2019
Earlier this month, ARCS Australia held it’s Annual Conference at the International Convention Centre Sydney – ICC Sydney, with the theme of putting patients at the centre of healthcare. Uniquely, the conference included a number of patients who attended, presented or were referenced.
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Understanding extracellular vesicles in cancer therapy research
Joy Wolfram is an Associate Professor at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland in Australia. Originally from Finland, she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology before transitioning to engineering with a PhD in nanotechnology completed in China. Wolfram has over a decade of experience working in hospitals in the United States before joining the University of Queensland.
Her research focuses on extracellular vesicles, which are crucial for cell communication both locally within tissues and over longer distances between organs. Her lab studies the roles of these vesicles in both health and disease, particularly in cancer. They investigate the harmful messages released by cancer cells that aid in tumour growth, specifically in breast cancer, while also exploring how to harness beneficial extracellular vesicles from healthy individuals as potential therapeutics.
