FKC – Projects 2021

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 5 research projects described below have been selected by independent experts as part of our 2021 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 1,100 runners in RUN TO KICK 2021 that the following innovative projects were funded:

1/ Glo-BNHL: a clinical trial for patients with lymphoma

The “Glo-BNHL” clinical trial is a global study that aims at evaluating - alone or in combination with existing therapies - the toxicity and efficacy of the most promising new drugs for children to increase the cure rate in patients with recurrent B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). As, on the one hand, there are many new molecules that could be tested in young patients and, on the other hand, there are very few patients eligible for an experimental clinical trial, only a step-wise approach would ensure the swift evaluation of the most promising treatments. To this end, this programme will create a unique global platform for early clinical trials in relapsed and refractory B-NHL.

Type of study: Clinical trial

Disease: Lymphoma

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

2/ REGO-INTER-EWING: an innovative frontline treatment

The "INTER-EWING-1" clinical trial is open to patients with metastatic Ewing's sarcoma. In most cases, innovative treatment is only offered when standard treatment fails. Here, as standard treatment offers only a limited efficacy, the clinical trial will be offered to patients immediately upon diagnosis. This trial will study whether adding a new agent (an enzyme inhibitor) and evaluate two other questions aimed at improving standard treatments: the adaptation of radiotherapy doses and the addition of a so-called "maintenance" treatment.

Type of study: Clinical trial

Disease: Ewing’s sarcoma

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

3/ CARBEMED: improving treatments for patients with medulloblastoma

The research project "CARBEMED" aims at identifying a highly innovative treatment strategy for medulloblastoma that would combine two immunotherapy techniques. The effect of this treatment will in first instance be tested on mice. It will combine a new drug from the class of “checkpoint inhibitors”, a technique that prevents cancer cells from going unnoticed (by white blood cells and a CAR-T cell therapy treatment that reinforces the natural ability of the immune system to fight cancer.

Type of study: Translational project

Disease: Medulloblastoma

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

4/ COMBALK: understand ALK-mutated neuroblastoma, to cure them better

The research project "COMBALK" is aimed at children with high-risk neuroblastoma whose tumour has an alteration in the "ALK" gene and in whom first-line treatment does not work. This represents between 12 to 15% of patients. The researchers found that the ALK protein plays an important role in the growth of cancer cells in patients with a mutation in the "ALK" gene. ALK inhibitors are now used for patients with an ALK-mutation; yet some patients resist to the treatment. The project will study this resistance and aim at identifying possible new treatments and combinations to overcome those resistances.

Type of study: Translational project

Disease: neuroblastoma

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

5/ BEACON-BIO: improve our understanding of the mechanisms of resistance in neuroblastoma

The BEACON-BIO project aims to allocate patients with neuroblastoma in risk groups defined based on their molecular specificities (or biomarkers) and treatment resistance. In particular, this project will study the impact of genetic and epigenetic factors in relapse and resistance. Epigenetics is the science that explains why cells with the same genetic code have different functions inside someone’s body. Finally, this project will seek to identify new combinations of molecules in the hope that they will be more efficient. These combinations will then be evaluated in the upcoming European trial in relapsed and refractory neuroblastoma.

Type of study: Translational project

Disease: Neuroblastoma

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