The National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases (NCARD) is bringing its internationally recognised expertise in cancer immunotherapy to improve outcomes for children with cancer. In collaboration with Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH), NCARD researchers are working to overcome challenges in childhood cancer treatment through a pioneering new project.
The partnership brings together NCARD’s Professors Jenette Creaney, Bruce Robinson, and Associate Professor Alec Redwood with PCH’s Professor Nick Gottardo to investigate why immunotherapy treatments, which have transformed adult cancer care, have shown limited success in childhood cancers. The team will focus on paediatric leukaemia and brain cancers, which together account for a significant proportion of childhood cancer cases.
Central to this project is the application of NCARD’s Antigen Targeted Therapy Against Cancer (ATTAC) program, an innovative platform that identifies unique cancer markers called neoantigens. Previously successful in adult cancers, the ATTAC program will now be adapted to address the specific needs of paediatric patients.
The research will employ cutting-edge techniques, including genomics, immunoproteomics, and bioinformatics to explore how children’s immune systems respond to cancer mutations. By identifying opportunities to develop therapies that precisely target cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue, the project seeks to reduce the long-term adverse effects associated with conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Preliminary findings offer encouraging signs. Early studies in acute lymphoblastic leukemia have revealed that in some children, over 60% of predicted neoantigens are recognised by their immune systems, with neoantigen-specific immune cells forming a substantial part of their immune cell repertoire. This suggests that carefully tailored immunotherapy approaches could unlock the potential of children’s immune systems to fight cancer.
Funded by the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, this three-year project is a testament to NCARD’s ability to translate its research beyond asbestos-related diseases. It exemplifies how the Centre’s innovations in cancer immunology can drive advances in other areas of medicine, offering new hope for improved, less toxic treatments for children with cancer.
Through this collaboration, NCARD and PCH are building a platform that not only addresses immediate challenges in childhood cancer care but also lays the groundwork for developing treatments that could transform the lives of young patients and their families.