{"id":26878,"date":"2021-03-18T00:10:44","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T00:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=18335"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:15:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:15:01","slug":"meet-the-teams-tackling-5-challenges-in-childrens-and-young-peoples-cancers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/meet-the-teams-tackling-5-challenges-in-childrens-and-young-peoples-cancers\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the teams tackling 5 challenges in children\u2019s and young people\u2019s cancers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"HandsHands working with a Petri dish in the lab.<\/p>

” data-medium-file=”https:\/\/scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IA_hero-300×168.jpg” data-large-file=”https:\/\/scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IA_hero.jpg”><\/p><\/div>

Cancer in children and young people is fundamentally different to cancer in adults \u2013 they require a different strategic approach and unique research. Because of this, we\u2019re dedicated to funding research specific to cancers that affect children and young people.<\/p>

Joining forces with Children with Cancer UK<\/a>, we\u2019re proud to be co-funding the Cancer Research UK\u2013Children with Cancer UK Innovation Awards. With this funding, 5 new teams of world-leading scientists, with up to \u00a31 million each, are embarking on 5 very distinct research projects into children\u2019s and young people\u2019s cancers.<\/p>\n

From developing a new, \u201coff-the-shelf\u201d therapy, to mapping a detailed genetic atlas of cancer, meet the teams who are hoping to improve our understanding of children\u2019s and young people\u2019s cancers.<\/p>\n

Understanding why some children inherit a greater risk of developing<\/span> cancer<\/span><\/h2>\n

Understanding why children and young people get cancer is a huge task and extremely complex. But the more we know about the possible genetic causes of these types of cancer, the easier they are to treat. One research team is taking it back to basics.<\/p>\n

Generally, the cause of for DNA changes (mutations) that can result in cancer in children and young people are unknown, but many are likely to arise as a random, one-off event that takes place inside a developing cell. And because of this, there\u2019s sadly no way to prevent many children\u2019s and young people\u2019s cancers from happening.
Some mutations in genes can be inherited \u2013 known as germline mutations \u2013 which can increase the risk of cancer. These genes are specifically known as cancer predisposing genes.<\/p>\n

\"Professor<\/p>\n

Professor Richard Houlston<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Professor Richard Houlston and his team at The Institute of Cancer Research are aiming to analyse the contribution of inherited mutations in a number of solid childhood cancers, in particular Wilms tumour, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, glioma, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma. Collectively, these account for almost half of all solid cancers in children.<\/p>\n

While mutations in some genes are a known cause of children\u2019s and young people\u2019s cancers, the number caused by inherited mutations as opposed to DNA changes that arise randomly at fertilisation or in early embryonic development, remains unknown.<\/p>\n

With the funding, Houlston plans to analyse a biobank that includes DNA samples and family histories from over 7,000 children diagnosed with a solid cancer. Using state of the art technology and cutting-edge analysis, Houlston aims to not only identify new cancer predisposing genes, but understand how these mutations can contribute to the risk of developing cancer during childhood.<\/p>\n

The results of Houlston\u2019s work will deepen our understanding the role of inherited mutations in children\u2019s and young people\u2019s cancers and could help scientists detect cancers earlier and develop new personalised medicine for patients with these types of cancers.<\/p>\n

Targeting<\/span><\/span> <\/span> to create new<\/span> treatments<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Today, more children and young people are surviving cancer than ever before,<\/span> with<\/span> around<\/span> 8 in 10 children living for<\/span> 10<\/span> years or more following a cancer diagnosi<\/span>s.<\/span> The high survival rate is a great example of the power<\/span> of<\/span> modern medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is driven<\/span> in part<\/span> by an understanding of<\/span> how<\/span> cancer cells differ from normal cells, including their DNA.<\/span> But we<\/span> need<\/span> more information<\/span>, so our scientists are focusing on<\/span> a change in the DNA<\/span> often<\/span> seen in the<\/span> cancer cells<\/span> of children and young people with cancer,<\/span> known as aneuploidy.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is aneuploidy?<\/h3>\n

Most DNA in our cells is packaged into tiny structures called chromosomes.<\/span> Most<\/span> people have 23 pairs of chromosomes<\/span> in each of their cells<\/span>,<\/span> bringing<\/span> it to a total of 46 chromosomes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aneuploidy is<\/span> when a cell has<\/span> one or more extra or missing chromosomes. For example, having 45 or 47 chromosomes, as opposed to<\/span> the usual<\/span> 46.<\/span><\/p>\n


Aneuploidies are<\/span> often<\/span> found in the cancer cells of c<\/span>hildren and young people<\/span> with diff<\/span>erent types of cancer<\/span>, and although they can be used as markers to identify some cancer types,<\/span> how and why<\/span> aneuploidy<\/span> occurs is not well understood<\/span>. This is where Professor Christine Harrison and her team come in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Professor<\/p>\n

Professor Christine Harrison<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Harrison,<\/span> along with<\/span> Professor Jonathan Higgins and Professor Steve Clifford,<\/span> all<\/span> based at Newcastle University,<\/span> will be<\/span> harnessing their<\/span> expertise in<\/span> chromosome biology and cell division<\/span> to understand how aneuploidy can drive cancer development<\/span>, and in turn, identify<\/span> targets<\/span> that<\/span> can be exploited<\/span> by<\/span> new therapeutics.<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he results from this study<\/span> also<\/span> have the potential to improve our understanding of cancer in a way that may eventually help scientists identify children at greater risk of developing aneuploidy, allowing for better monitoring of those individuals. They may lead to us finding new ways to treat these types of cancer and potentially prevent certain cancers from developing in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Developing novel targeted immunotherapy for<\/span> infant<\/span> leukaemia<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Dr<\/p>\n

Dr Anindita Roy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Some teams are<\/span> zooming<\/span> in<\/span> their research<\/span> to focus on one particular type of cancer, which is what Dr Anindita Roy and Professor Anastasios Karadimitris at Imperial College London<\/span> plan to do<\/span> with their award<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Childhood<\/span> acute lymphoblastic leukaemia<\/span> (ALL)<\/span><\/a> is the most common type of leukaemia diagn<\/span>osed<\/span> in children<\/span>,<\/span> with<\/span> around 440 children diagnosed every year in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n

One<\/span> type of ALL<\/span> has a particularly poor prognosis<\/span>,<\/span> with<\/span> less than<\/span> 40% of<\/span> patients surviving for<\/span> 6 years<\/span><\/a> without specific<\/span><\/span> a<\/span><\/span> \u2018event\u2019 or symptom<\/span><\/span>.<\/span> These cancers have a signature genetic change called an MLL rearrangement,<\/span> and t<\/span>he poor survival rates<\/span> for children with this type<\/span> of cancer<\/span> point to the need for new treatment options<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although there have been<\/span> advancements<\/span> in the treatment of ALL in recent years, particula<\/span>rly with the development of the ground-breaking CAR T<\/span>\u2013<\/span>cell therapy, this type of treatment is not<\/span> suitable<\/span> with<\/span> for children and young<\/span> people<\/span> with MLL rearranged<\/span> ALL<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

What is CAR T<\/span>\u2013<\/span>cell therapy?<\/span><\/h3>\n

T cells are a type of<\/span> immune<\/span> cell that<\/span> help our bodies fight infection<\/span>. But it can be difficult for them to tell the difference between a cancer cell and a normal cell, which means the cancer cells can often<\/span> hide and not be recognised<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientists are trying to find<\/span> new<\/span> ways to<\/span> help<\/span> T cells to recognise cancer cells. One possible way to do this is through CAR T<\/span>\u2013<\/span>cell therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n

CAR T<\/span>\u2013<\/span>cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy<\/span> that<\/span> takes somebody\u2019s own<\/span> immune<\/span> cells \u2013 specifically T cells \u2013 and modifies them<\/span> by adding a small molecule known as a chimeric antigen<\/span> receptor<\/span> (CAR)<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having this specific receptor means that the T cells are<\/span> more<\/span> able to recognise and kill<\/span> cancer<\/span> cells.<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span> major<\/span> drawback<\/span> of CAR T<\/span>\u2013<\/span>cell therapy<\/span> is that it requires T<\/span> cells to be taken<\/span> from the patient<\/span> through a blood sample<\/span>.<\/span> O<\/span>btaining these cells from young children<\/span> can<\/span> be a challenge<\/span>, especially after they have already gone through intensive chemotherapy to treat their<\/span> cancer<\/span>. A better alternative is<\/span> needed<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Roy,<\/span> based at the University of Oxford and Karadimitris, from Imperial College London hope to tackle this challenge head on.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Professor<\/p>\n

Professor Anastasios Karadimitris<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Roy and Karadimitris aim to develop a new approach for treating<\/span> MLL rearranged<\/span> ALL<\/span> in infants<\/span>.<\/span> They pla<\/span>n<\/span> to<\/span> tak<\/span>e<\/span> the idea behind CAR T<\/span>\u2013<\/span>cell therapy<\/span> but remove the need for a person\u2019s own immune cells, creating<\/span> an<\/span> \u201c<\/span>off-the<\/span>\u2013<\/span>shelf<\/span>\u201d<\/span> version.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, the team hope that the drug will be ready for clinical trials by the time the project ends in<\/span> 3<\/span> years<\/span>,<\/span> and be available<\/span> for children with<\/span> this type of cancer<\/span> as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Improving outcomes for children and young people whose leukaemia has returned after treatment<\/span><\/h2>\n

Like Roy and<\/span> Karadimitris<\/span>, a<\/span> second team<\/span> is<\/span> also<\/span> focusing on ALL.<\/span><\/p>\n

Whilst the survival for children and young people with ALL is high<\/span> overall<\/span>,<\/span> this isn\u2019t the case for everyone.<\/span> F<\/span>or<\/span> children<\/span> whose cancer<\/span> come<\/span>s<\/span> bac<\/span>k after treatment or<\/span> doesn\u2019t<\/span> respond to treatment<\/span>,<\/span> survival<\/span> remains poor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Developing new, targeted treatments for relapsed ALL is notoriously difficult<\/span>.<\/span> Th<\/span>is is mainly<\/span> because relapse is rare, so<\/span> coordinating<\/span> studies can be challenging.<\/span> As a result,<\/span> children with the disease<\/span> don\u2019t have many<\/span> effective treatments<\/span> options<\/span> if their initial treatment<\/span> doesn\u2019t<\/span> work<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Team<\/p>\n

Dr Marc Mansour, Dr Jack Bartram, Professor Owen Williams and Dr David O\u2019Connor<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr David O\u2019Connor, Dr Marc Mansour<\/span>,<\/span> Dr Jack Bartram<\/span> and Professor Owen Williams<\/span> based<\/span> at<\/span> University College London<\/span> (UCL)<\/span> and Great Ormond Street Hospital<\/span>,<\/span> hope<\/span> to address this gap in the research by<\/span> establishing<\/span> a nationwide study analysing samples<\/span> from children and young<\/span> people<\/span> with<\/span> ALL<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>Whilst childhood ALL is usually curable with chemotherapy, the fact it is by far the commonest paediatric cancer means relapsed ALL remains one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in the UK. We are hoping that personalised treatments for these children will change this.<\/span><\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span> \u2013<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span> Professor Marc Mansour<\/span><\/p>\n

A real-time<\/span>,<\/span> comprehensive analysis of leukaemia samples will allow the team to analyse<\/span> the genetic makeup of the cancers in unprecedented detail<\/span> and uncover<\/span> sensitivities to different treatments<\/span>.<\/span> This type of<\/span> precision approach<\/span> will guide which treatments<\/span> patients receive, giving them the best chance of survival.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, the team hope to use the samples to identify<\/span> clues<\/span> called biomarkers<\/span> that<\/span> will help identify future children and young people with ALL who are<\/span> likely to respond to particular treatments, while also potentially uncovering new targets for future treatments for ALL.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cT<\/span>he project will deliver a precision medicine approach for children with relapsed leukaemia, identifying effective drugs on an individual basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a wider level, the study will characterise paediatric leukaemia in unprecedented detail, enhancing our understanding, identifying targets for new therapies and providing a resource for the entire paediatric leukaemia research community\u201d \u2013<\/em><\/span> Dr David O\u2019Connor<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Mapping an atlas of rhabdomyosarcoma to better guide research<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the 70s and 80s,<\/span> research made great strides in the treatment of<\/span> a cancer<\/span> that starts in the muscle cells<\/span>,<\/span> called rhabdomyosarcoma<\/span>.<\/span> But d<\/span>espite extensive clinical and biological<\/span> research since then, progress has stalled, and new approaches are needed to improve the<\/span> lives of<\/span> children<\/span> and young people<\/span> with<\/span> this type of cancer<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/p>\n

Dr Sam Behjati<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr Sam Behjati,<\/span> based at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute,<\/span> and<\/span> Dr Karin St<\/span>r<\/span>aathof at UCL are looking to<\/span> revive<\/span> progress by<\/span> stripping the<\/span> science back to<\/span> the<\/span> fundamental<\/span> biology of the disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which means going back to the very beginning<\/span>.<\/span> Rhabdomyosarcoma is<\/span> believed<\/span> to originate from<\/span> cells that are play an important role in a developing<\/span> embryo<\/span>.<\/span> These cells don\u2019t usually exist after the child is born, but they somehow persist in children with<\/span> rhabdomyosarcoma.<\/span><\/p>\n

Behjati<\/span> and his team<\/span> want to know more. They\u2019<\/span>ll be building a<\/span>n<\/span> \u2018atlas<\/span>\u2019 \u2013<\/span> a<\/span> detailed<\/span> guide to the genetic landscape of the cells<\/span> that make up<\/span> rhabdomyosarcoma<\/span> tumours<\/span> \u2013<\/span> using<\/span> 250,000<\/span> rhabdomyosarcoma<\/span> cells<\/span> from 50 tumour samples.<\/span><\/p>\n

By analysing the tumour samples gathered at the time of diagnosis<\/span>,<\/span> and again if patients relapse,<\/span> t<\/span>he team plan to<\/span> identify developmental targets<\/span> that<\/span> could be used to<\/span> help develop n<\/span>ew treatments.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAlthough treatments have dramatically improved over the past few decades, children continue to<\/span> suffer<\/span> from rhabdomyosarcoma, with<\/span> very few<\/span> novel treatment approaches in sight. Moreover, survivors often experience lifelong adverse effects from treatment. We\u2019re looking forward to the insights the research provides, which<\/span> has the potential to<\/span> show us<\/span> the<\/span> previously hidden Achilles\u2019 heels of rhabdomyosarcoma\u201d<\/span> \u2013 Dr Sam Behjati<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Behjati and the team<\/span> plan to<\/span> make all the data they gather<\/span> freely available<\/span> so<\/span> others in<\/span> the<\/span> rhabdomyosarcoma<\/span> research community and<\/span> beyond<\/span> can<\/span> build on<\/span> their find<\/span>ings<\/span> to drive momentum in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

The starting line<\/span><\/h2>\n

Our<\/span> chief executive<\/span>, Michelle Mitchell commented,<\/span> \u201cwe\u2019ve listened to both parents and researchers and their concerns about lack of progress for children\u2019s and young people\u2019s cancers. That\u2019s why we made a commitment to change this through our Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People research strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We hope this funding boost will build momentum in the field to improve our understanding of these types of cancer and ultimately lead to fewer children and young people losing their lives to this disease.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is just the beginning for our 5 teams. And they\u2019re raring to go.<\/span> W<\/span>e\u2019ll have our eyes peeled as results begin to emerge<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lilly<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Read more:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

More on this topic<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cancer in children and young people is fundamentally different to cancer in adults \u2013 they require a different strategic approach and unique research. Because of this, we\u2019re dedicated to funding research specific to cancers that affect children and young people. Joining forces with Children with Cancer UK, we\u2019re proud to be co-funding the Cancer Research [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26878"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43907,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26878\/revisions\/43907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}