Overview
- The King’s College London–led study plans to enroll roughly 226 to 250 patients aged about 10 to 15 with parental consent under a delayed-start design.
- Participants will be randomised so one group receives puberty blockers for two years while a second begins after a 12‑month delay, with both groups followed for two years.
- Researchers will monitor brain development with scans alongside bone health, fertility and mental health, with initial findings expected in about four years.
- Some participants may remain on puberty suppression after the trial if clinicians deem it appropriate, despite the current NHS ban for under‑18s.
- The £10.7m NHS/NIHR‑funded Pathways programme also includes a separate brain‑imaging study, as critics condemn the trial and threaten a High Court challenge.