Funding pioneering medical research into childhood cancer is critical in increasing kids’ survival rates as well as in finding kinder and more effective treatments. Thanks to philanthropic support for research, survival rates have increased to 86% or more for most childhood cancers. However, survival rates for rare cancers such as brain, neuroblastoma and sarcoma are still very low.
Thanks to the Collier Charitable Fund's generous support The Kids’ Cancer Project was able to help fund Associate Professor Joost Lesterhuis’ ground-breaking research into sarcoma treatment.
Working with the Sarcoma Translational Research team, A/Professor Lesterhuis developed a new gel treatment for sarcoma, a cancer that causes tumours in bone joints. Sarcoma patients often require surgery, sometimes amputation. Yet even post-surgery, sarcoma can return, often metastasising in the lungs.
Recognising that sarcoma presents in the same way for both kids and canines the W.A. based researchers have undertaken a world-class clinical trial using the newly created gel to treat sarcoma bone tumours in dogs. The team’s first two canine patients were treated with the gel without any problems.
The team expanded on preclinical work, identifying the catalyst of the gel, characterising its physical aspects to ensure it would work in a surgical setting and identifying a predictive biomarker, all of which are important for patenting the gel. Additionally, all of this is crucial in having a strong patent position before the researchers can use the gel treatment in first-in-human trials.