Project 1 - Characterisation of high-risk neuroblastoma models to support translational research

Under the leadership of Dr Jamie Fletcher and Dr Toby Trahair, we are supporting a new Children's Cancer Institute  project that hopes to develop highly detailed models representing the diversity of neuroblastoma.

The project will conduct molecular characterisation of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models from Australian and New Zealand patients enrolled in an international, multicentre, randomised clinical trial. These models will play an invaluable role in current and future basic and translational research studies for this disease.

Clinicians and researchers could make use of this panel of PDX models to improve the accuracy with which they assess new therapeutic approaches prior to clinical trials. This would help prioritise approaches that are more likely to be effective in children.

“The generous support of Neuroblastoma Australia has allowed us to more rigorously test new approaches to treating children with high-risk neuroblastoma and to provide improved individualised information to aid treatment decisions. The success of this Neuroblastoma Australia–funded research has also contributed to additional competitive government research funding for our neuroblastoma research” - Dr. Jamie Fletcher

Project 2 - Optimisation of high-risk neuroblastoma model development

Under the leadership of Dr Jamie Fletcher and Dr Toby Trahair, we are supporting an additional project aimed at decreasing the time required to generate PDX models and increasing the success rate of their development.

PDX models allow high quality lab-based testing of treatment approaches and can be an important part of testing for individual patients in the context of clinical trials. Quicker and more reliable PDX development increases the number of patients that can benefit from these approaches in a clinically relevant time frame.

Improvements to PDX model development can be rapidly adopted for high-risk neuroblastoma patients enrolled on the Zero Childhood Cancer clinical trial and can influence the model development approaches of other groups in the neuroblastoma field internationally, including those involved in personalised medicine trials.

Donate to Fund Research 

You can help fund groundbreaking research projects to find new, better treatments for children diagnosed neuroblastoma. Please donate today. If you want to help us support research, regular giving provides constant support, even $10 a month makes a difference.