A winning combo to exterminate medulloblastoma

This project was selected in the framework of our European call: FIGHT KIDS CANCER 2021. It is jointly financed by Imagine for Margo, Kriibskrank Kanner Fondatioun and KickCancer.

It is thanks to your participation in RUN TO KICK 2021 that this innovative project is funded!

Click here to watch Dr. John Anderson explain this innovative FIGHT KIDS CANCER project.

Medulloblastoma is a high-risk brain cancer in children. It is the most common brain cancer (20% of brain and spinal cord tumours). Today, treatments cause significant long-term side effects and the rate of incurable relapse remains very high.

There is therefore an urgent need to develop more targeted and effective treatments without the side effects of the current approaches.

The translational research project "CARBEMED" aims at identifying a highly innovative treatment strategy that would combine two immunotherapy techniques:

• A new drug from the class of “checkpoint inhibitors”, a technique that prevents cancer cells from going unnoticed (like normal healthy cells) by white blood cells;
• A CAR-T cell therapy treatment that reinforces the natural ability of the immune system to fight cancer: the patient's own immune cells (T cells) are collected, then genetically manipulated in the laboratory to enable them to recognise and destroy cancer cells. Once modified, these cells are reinjected into the patient.

The effect of this treatment will in first instance be tested on mice.

This project brings together a team of researchers from three British institutions. Together they bring along the different skills required to deliver on this project: cell therapy, drug treatments, analysis of animal models and translation into clinical trials.

Many other childhood and adult cancers present mechanisms of action that are similar to medulloblastoma. If successful, this combination could therefore benefit these patients as well.

This project aims at identifying news treatment options for children with medulloblastoma. As a result, the project will benefit all children (Belgian, European and beyond!) if the study’s conclusions are encouraging.