Introduction:
FIGHT KIDS CANCER is an initiative formed by several European paediatric cancer foundations with the objective of identifying and funding major European projects and clinical studies with great potential for use in the everyday care of children with cancer. In other words, FKC supports the development of the most innovative treatments in Europe for childhood cancers.
Currently, the foundations participating in Fight Kids Cancer are:
- Kick Cancer (Belgium)
- Imagine for Margo (France)
- Foundation Kriibskrank Kanner (Luxemburg)
- CRIS Cancer Foundation (UK, Spain and France)
CRIS has become part of this great alliance which, since its creation, has invested more than 6 million euros in projects centred around fighting childhood tumours.
Once a year, FIGHT KIDS CANCER invites researchers and doctors from throughout Europe to present their most innovative projects. A committee of experts review the applications to identity which projects will have the most impact on patients’ lives.
The projects:
Through FIGHT KIDS CANCER, CRIS will fund the following projects:
BEACON2 (Dr Lucas Moreno, VHIR, Barcelona).
- Participating countries: UK, Spain, France and other European countries.
- Clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of various new treatments for neuroblastoma: Combining chemotherapy with treatments acting against the synthesis of blood vessels or which combine chemotherapy with antibodies which act against a protein typically found in neuroblastoma cells (GD2).
HEM|iSMART (Dr. Michel Zwaan, Prinses Maxima Center, Utrecht)
- Participating countries: Holland and other European countries, including France.
- Clinical trials specifically for patients with leukaemia and lymphoma, in which gene sequencing and genome studies are carried out on participating children. Treatment is then tailored to each child depending on the findings.
SACHA INTERNATIONAL (Dr. Pablo Berlanga, Gustave Roussy)
- Participating countries: UK, France, Spain, other European countries, Australia and New Zealand.
- Clinical trials designed to create a register of all advanced treatments which are used as compassionate therapies, essential to understand the impact of new treatments on a European level.
Cure2MLL (Dr. Ronald Stam, Princess Maxima, Utrecht)
- Participating countries: UK, Holland, Spain and Italy.
- This ambitious project, a collaboration between experts in MLL leukaemia, is designed to validate new targets for treatment, understand in depth the workings of MLL and to create a solid base on which to carry out clinical trials for MLL leukaemia in relapse.
Prevention of Neuroblastoma relapses (Dr. Rogier Versteeg, University of Amsterdam)
- Participating countries: Holland and Germany
- This project studies the established cells which form the majority of neuroblastoma metastases and the most effective way to attack them.
PG-AML (Dr. Shai Izraeli, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel)
- Participating countries: Israel
- The objective of this project is to develop a genetic method to improve the tracking of the disease, minimise residual tumour cells and classify tumour cells more efficiently for each patient with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
DIGITWINS (Walter Kolch, University College, Dublin)
- Participating countries: UK and Ireland
- This project will develop a strategy based on results and biological characteristics of tumours from children with neuroblastoma to design digital simulations (digitwins) that can predict the treatment which is best suited for each child.
As well as these projects, funding is also being considered for many other valuable projects and clinical trials.