FKC – Projects 2020

FIGHT KIDS CANCER (FKC) is a collaborative initiative by KickCancer (Belgium), Imagine for Margo (France), the Kriibskrank Kanner Foundation (Luxembourg), and CRIS Cancer Foundation (Spain & United Kingdom) and KiKa (the Netherlands) – these two last organisations since 2022. Our goal is to promote the most innovative treatments through collaboration between academic researchers and the funding of research on paediatric cancer across European countries.

The 6 research projects described below have been selected by independent experts as part of our 2020 European call for projects.

All these projects are presented below in a summary format. If you wish to find out more about these, a detailed description of the research activities is available in English only on the FIGHT KIDS CANCER website. The link to the page of each project is indicated under its short description.

It is thanks to the participation of 750 runners in RUN TO KICK 2020 that the following innovative projects were funded:

1/ AsiDNA Children: extend life thanks to more efficient radiations

The clinical study “AsiDNA Children” tested a new drug: AsiDNA on children with a recurrent high-grade glioma (HGG). Standard treatment for HGG consists of surgery when possible and radiotherapy in all cases. The aim of the “AsiDNA Children” study was to prolong survival and improve patients’ quality of life in children and adolescents with recurrent previously irradiated HGG

Type of study: Clinical trial

Disease: High-grade glioma

More information can be found here (in English only).

2/ Pobcorn: programme on brain tumours

The collaborative project POBCORN aims at in-depth investigation of the high-grade neuroepithelial tumour with a BCOR-alteration (CNS HGNET-BCOR) biology with cutting-edge molecular technologies. The CNS HGNET-BCOR is a newly identified type of brain tumour. This project will allow us to understand the underlying biological processes, which drive this tumour type and for which no effective treatments exist today. The project holds two aims: first, the patients’ stratification (or classification) by risks groups, and second the identification of novel treatment approaches (based on this novel stratification).

Type of study: Translational project

Disease: Brain tumours

More information can be found here (in English only).

3/ EpiRT: a programme on rhabdoid tumours

This project will focus on the role of one epigenetic drug in rhabdoid tumours, inhibiting the epigenetic protein “EZH2”, which inhibition has shown some preliminary effects in the clinics. Rhabdoid tumours are indeed characterised by the loss of one unique gene, called SMARCB1, which is gifted with a very much “epi-genetic” character. Therefore, one major field of research for further therapeutic development concerns drugs that also target epigenetic actors. The impact of this drug on rhabdoid tumours will be analysed at the cell level when grafted in mice.

Type of study: Translational project

Disease: Rhabdoid tumour

More information can be found here (in English only).

4/ IMAGINE: a programme on osteosarcomas

The “IMAGINE” project aims at overcoming the tumour’s micro-environment’s barrier in paediatric osteosarcoma by using an innovative, inexpensive, non-invasive and easy to implement approach to give finally give access to these patients to immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that attempts to strengthen the natural ability of the immune system to fight cancer. White blood cells will be loaded with magnetic nanoparticles that can be guided to the tumour through a magnetic field to significantly enhance their efficacy.

Type of study: Translational project

Disease: Osteosarcoma

More information can be found here (in English only).

5/ RESTRAIN: a programme on neuroblastoma

In this project “RESTRAIN”, researchers will create mouse and zebrafish models to cause a degradation of the RRM2 protein with the objective to improve our understanding of the role of RRM2 during neuroblastoma tumour formation. Researchers indeed recently identified that it is this key protein on which neuroblastoma cells rely to sustain their growth. In addition, the objective is to discover as many other proteins as possible that together with RRM2 play a crucial role in neuroblastoma cells and thus serve as novel targets for future therapy.

Type of study: Translational project

Disease: Neuroblastoma

More information can be found here (in English only).

6/ ALARM3: a programme on acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)

This project “ALARM3” will focus on AML cells at relapse and the understanding of their interactions with the bone marrow microenvironment in order to develop new treatments. It is based on a multi-approach research to (i) improve the characterisation of the relapse and resistance mechanisms, (ii) discover new targeted drugs and (iii) understand the evolution of the treatment’s sensitivity with the ultimate goal to improve the patients’ outcome through a personalisation of the therapeutic strategies.

Type of study: Translational project

Disease: Acute myeloid leukaemia

More information can be found here (in English only).