Hospitals
Cancer Research
Finding a cure and better ways to treat childhood cancer is of the utmost importance, and to this end we have been involved in funding research into childhood cancer since 1999.
Sydney Children’s Hospital Cancer Research Unit built totally with $1.5M in funds provided by Kids with Cancer
World first research into Relapsed Ependymoma
The Deflexifol Clinical Trial for Ependymoma proudly supported by Kids with Cancer. In 2022 we were delighted to be approached by Professor David Ziegler at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, to provide $1,262,457 over 5 years as a principal funder of a world first clinical trial into refractory or recurrent paediatric central nervous system tumours.
Watch Dr Ziegler video
Cancer Research Funding
$30,000.00
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Data Manager – Administrative Support for cancer clinical trials.
$112,000.00
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Data Manager – Administrative Support for cancer clinical trials.
- Research Assistance for gene therapy.
- Project Consumables.
- Lab Consumables.
$312,955
Queensland Children’s Hospital
- Clinical Research Nurse
- Research Psychologist
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick
- Clinical Research Nurse
- Research Psychologist
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Data Manager
- Late Effects Coordinator
$142,741
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Paediatric Oncology Pharmacist
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick
- COG Research Nurse
- Data Operator
$62,386
University of Melbourne – Monash Hospital
-
Paediatric Family Cancer Study Researcher
$102,689
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Clinical Research Associate
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick
- Data Manager – Administrative Support for cancer clinical trials.
$184,657
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Clinical Research Associate
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick
- Data Manager – Administrative Support for cancer clinical trials.
- Behavioural Science Unit Fellowship
$129,470
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick
- Behavioural Science Unit Fellowship
- Data Manager – Administrative Support for cancer clinical trials.
$309,094
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Clinical Research Associate
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick
- Research Assistance Clinical Trials Program
- Behavioural Science Unit Fellowship
- Senior Researcher
- PHD Scholarship Behavioural Sciences Program
$492,414
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick
- Research Assistance Clinical Trials Program
- Behavioural Science Unit Fellowship
$386,419
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Clinical Research Associate
- Behavioural Science Program, Research Assistance Clinical Trials Program
- Research Assistance for Incurable Cancer Trials Program
$1,489,835
Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick
- Research Assistance Clinical Trials Program
- Behavioural Science Unit Fellowship
$1,000,000
Westmead Children’s Hospital
- Genetic Predisposition Study
Joanne Chuah – National Study Coordinator
Joanne has been in the clinical research industry for over 10 years. During this time, Joanne had the responsibility of not only coordinating multiple international clinical trials at a major paediatric cancer centre, but also becoming the national project manager and liaison for an international clinical trial. The type of cancer trials Joanne worked on include (but not limited to) leukaemia and bone marrow transplant.
Given how valuable clinical trials are in providing children the best chance of beating cancer, I am very excited to join the Sydney Children’s Hospital’s KOALA team as a National Study Coordinator. This is my opportunity to contribute to the development and management of new early phase clinical trials. It is a privilege to work alongside researchers who are dedicated to improve the outcome of childhood cancers by bringing together scientifically safe and effective medicine to children across Australia and New Zealand.
Professor David Ziegler – World first research into Relapsed Ependymoma
The Deflexifol Clinical Trial for Ependymoma proudly supported by Kids with Cancer. In 2022 we were delighted to be approached by Professor David Ziegler at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, to provide $1,262,457 over 5 years as a principal funder of a world first clinical trial into refractory or recurrent paediatric central nervous system tumours.
Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer death in children and adolescents in Australia. Paediatric Ependymoma is the third most common childhood brain tumour, yet standard therapies (surgery and radiation therapy) have remained largely unchanged for decades.
Paediatric Ependymoma is a cancerous brain tumour doctors regularly see in kids. There are only two treatments used for Ependymoma. The first is surgery,where surgeons remove all the tumour, and the second is radiation therapy, which is a very intense treatment but works for the majority of kids. About 70% of kids will be cured with the combination of these two treatments.
However, if neither of those are successful, doctors really have no other effective treatments. And if the cancer comes back after kids have had radiation therapy, we know at that point that it’s essentially incurable.
“That’s why we really need more research and trials to come up with new and better treatments”
Our funding (together with scientists, clinicians, and experts from around Australia) will support the new clinical trial which is getting ready to roll out around the country to help kids with this devastating form of cancer.
This trial is testing a new cutting-edge therapy – it’s hoped that with the new formulation of a more effective and less toxic drug doctors may facilitate a world first treatment. The biggest transformation initially will be hope, where previously there was very little. It will mean that there is something to offer kids who would otherwise have no other options.
This trial will be opening around Australia in every children’s cancer centre in the
country and will be made available to every child in Australia who needs it. But more than that – we want to make sure this has a global impact! We need to make sure every child is cured, no child is left behind, and that we have the best possible clinical outcomes.
We can only do this by continuing to raise the bar and continuing to fund research to find new and better treatments – and that is exactly what we are doing. We are delighted to provide the funding for this critical world first clinical trial. Our hope in doing so, is to see ependymoma become an unremarkable event for kids with cancer and their families.
Dr McCowage – Gene Therapy Project
Kids with Cancer Foundation provided $150,000 to help start a Gene Therapy project supporting the work of Dr McCowage and Peter Gunning at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Dr McCowage has been a paediatric oncologist at the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (SCHN) Westmead since 1996. He has a particular clinical interest in neuro-oncology and sarcomas of bone and soft tissue. His current research involves gene transfer with haematopoietic stem cells, focusing on the development of clinical gene therapy trials. Dr McCowage is SCHN Westmead’s Principal Investigator for clinical trials of the international Children’s Oncology Group, and is also involved in other clinical trials sponsored by industry and other consortia.
“Gene Therapy provides hope as a viable and innovative approach to the treatment of paediatric brain tumours and alleviation of treatment side effects. The Children’s Cancer Gene Therapy team started a Phase I study in June 2012 for the treatment of paediatric brain tumours using a combined gene therapy/pharmacological approach. The approach involves gene modification of haematopoietic stem cells, so that the cells produce a DNA repair protein and become resistant to the harmful effects of methylating chemotherapy. This trial is a world-first study demonstrating the safety and feasibility of infusing gene-modified haematopoietic stem cells in children.”