Babies from across Bolton have been recruited to a new study aimed at looking at how to protect newborns and infants from serious illnesses.

They will be taking part in the Harmonie research trial which will be looking at the effectiveness of an antibody called nirsevimab.

The antibody has been developed to try and lower the number of babies who need to go to hospital with respiratory syncytial virus.

Dr Sweta Jain, neonatal unit consultant and lead investigator for Bolton, said: “We’re passionate about playing an important role in investigating the efficiency of new treatments through research, for families and babies both now and in the future.

“We proudly recruited our first baby in October 2022, and to recruit more than fifty babies in five months is a testament to the dedication and collaboration between our research team and neonatal teams.”

The trial is not just taking place in Bolton but has also involved babies from elsewhere in the country and further afield across Europe.

So far it has recruited more than 8,000 infants and took place at nearly 250 sites across France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

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RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis in infants, with more than 60 per cent of children infected by their first birthday, according to government figures.

While most infections cause mild illness, some may result in hospitalisation.

But data from the Harmonie project has found that an 83 per cent reduction in hospitalisations in infants under 12 months old who received a single dose of nirsevimab, compared to infants who received no RSV intervention.