Since 2001, RCH1000 has proudly funded the Harmonising Age Pathology Parameters in Kids study, also known as HAPPI Kids. This groundbreaking research project has established age-specific reference ranges for blood tests in children and young people, ensuring results are accurate, reliable, and tailored to growing bodies.
RCH1000 members are part of a giving community that is committed to supporting ground-breaking research projects at the RCH by making an annual $1,000 donation.
By addressing this critical gap in paediatric pathology, HAPPI Kids is helping clinicians make evidence-based decisions and deliver safer, more precise care – transforming the ways children are diagnosed, monitored and treated. “In principle, the study sounds so simple. We are collecting blood from children, running tests, and determining where they all sit,” explained Professor Paul Monagle, Paediatric Haematologist at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) and the driving force behind HAPPI Kids. “But we are running really specific tests. When the project first began, we collected 380 samples from children across every year of life to create appropriate age-structured reference ranges for each test,” he continued.
Despite its seemingly simple concept, the impact of HAPPI Kids has been transformative. The study has established pathology reference ranges specifically for children, ensuring that young patients’ blood results are no longer measured against adult data. “Adult pathology testing far outweighs paediatric testing in sheer volume. Children’s hospitals represent only a tiny fraction of the total tests performed across the state, so this data creates appropriate reference ranges for children,” Paul explained.
“If we have HAPPI Kids running over the next few years, we can figure out what is ‘normal’ across new pathology machinery and make sure that we’re reporting as accurately as possible,” he added.
Since its inception, HAPPI Kids has steadily expanded both its reach and impact. Through forging strong partnerships with leading hospitals and researchers, the study is enabling improved and better informed treatment decisions, and advancing paediatric care nationwide.
“The usefulness of this study goes beyond just the clinicians at the RCH, it’s accessible to paediatric clinicians all over the country,” Paul emphasised. “Hospitals are introducing new laboratory technologies but they don’t have any paediatric reference ranges. So, they’re coming to us because we have the data, and we’re very happy to share it,” he continued.
HAPPI Kids is now in its third phase, working to create sample collection infrastructure across The Melbourne Children’s Campus – including The Royal Children’s Hospital, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics.
“Over 10,000 children have been involved and contributed to HAPPI Kids across the life of the study – providing us with a robust and remarkable data set.”
This expansion will extend the study’s impact and ensure the campus remains at the forefront of care for vulnerable children and young people. “If it wasn’t for the funding support of RCH1000 since 2001, the study would never have commenced or grown into the transformative program it is today. What started as an idea is now making a difference in the day-to-day care of a huge number of children,” Paul shared.
Thanks to the RCH1000 community and its committed members, HAPPI Kids has established a consistent and reliable foundation for interpreting paediatric pathology results – driving lasting improvements in health outcomes for young patients at the RCH and beyond.
Learn more about the impact of RCH1000 and how you could become involved.