Pediatric Cancer Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Gustave Roussy, were awarded a $1.3million grant from a group of neuroblastoma clinical research charities led by Solving Kids’ Cancer UK and Solving Kids’ Cancer (US).
This will support parallel phase 3 clinical trials developed by the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and The International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma Group (SIOPEN).
Physician-Scientist, Yael Mossé, MD, who focuses on neuroblastoma in CHOP’s Cancer Centre, said, “This exciting collaboration is an important step in developing better treatments for children with neuroblastoma.
“Only one new drug has been approved by the FDA for neuroblastoma in the past 30 years. We hope this collaboration between North American and European researchers will bring more targeted therapies to children newly diagnosed with this disease.”
Approximately 90 per cent of children are diagnosed with Neuroblastoma before the age of five, making it the most common pediatric cancer diagnosed in infancy. Across Europe and North America, at least 1,500 children are diagnosed with severely malignant, high-risk neuroblastoma each year.
Andy Pearson, MD, Chair of the Solving Kids’ Cancer UK Scientific Advisory Board, said, “This is a landmark step in clinical research for children with neuroblastoma.
“With pediatric cancer hugely underfunded in comparison to adult cancer, there is an urgent need for breakthrough treatments for the most difficult-to-cure childhood cancers like neuroblastoma. This trial has the potential to accelerate the discovery of a new treatment and lay the foundation for future collaborations of this nature.”
To find out more about this study, please visit the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s website.
