This year again, thanks to the support of tens of thousands of donors, the entire Imagine for Margo team took strong action against childhood cancer.
GREAT VICTORIES IN RESEARCH AGAINST CHILDREN’S CANCER
The results of the BIOMEDE program carried out by the team of Dr Jacques Grill at Gustave Roussy on infiltrating Gliomas of the brain stem are tremendously hopeful: 8 children are considered “long survivors” of this hitherto incurable brain tumor!
Young Lucas is in complete remission more than six years after diagnosis, and has stopped all treatment for a year, without reappearance of his tumor.
Understanding the mechanisms of this exceptional survival will now help to reproduce what happened naturally in these patients with drugs in the cells of other children in the laboratory.
These results further pave the way towards a world with cancer-free children.
A drug in syrup form is 80% more effective than conventional chemotherapy in childhood fibrosarcoma
Last September, during a special evening intended to present the progress of the Institut Curie projects that we finance, Dr. Daniel Orbach presented the first results of his study on fibrosarcoma. This disease mainly affects newborns and infants. To better treat this disease, Dr. Orbach and his team tested a new drug which very specifically targets a genetic anomaly, almost constant in infantile fibrosarcoma cells, the NTRK (neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase) gene. They have demonstrated that this drug is 80% more effective than conventional chemotherapies and is simpler to administer since it is taken in the form of a syrup. The first results were presented to the High Authority of Health (HAS), which led to authorization of reimbursement of the drug (larotrectinib) in France from March 2023. This study is very promising and is now extended to other pediatric and adult cancers, in which the abnormality is present. Today, we have great hope for the conclusions of this study which will be presented in 2024.
WORKING TOGETHER TO ACCELERATE RESEARCH IS PART OF IMAGINE FOR MARGO’S DNA AND THE YEAR 2023 WAS MARKED BY SEVERAL MAJOR PARTNERSHIPS AND INITIATIVES:
IN FRANCE, NEW PARTNERSHIPS ARE BEING BUILT
The year began with the creation, within Imagine for Margo, of a Strategic Orientation Committee (COS[1]) made up of eminent personalities; Prof. Agnès Buzyn (Former Minister of Health, master advisor in extraordinary service at the Court of Audit), Prof. Gilles Vassal (Gustave Roussy, president of the European ITCC network), Prof. Patrick Errard (Former president of LEEM , vice-president of the MEDEF[2] Innovation Commission), Sophie Gilhodes (Administrator of Imagine for Margo) and Patricia Blanc (founding President of the Imagine for Margo association). This council’s mission is to propose an economic model dedicated to childhood and adolescent cancers. Work is underway with parliamentarians, industrialists, investors and academics.
The month of February continued with the organization of the 10th FAST conference. A moment that has become essential in our fight during which researchers and key health players presented their advances against this scourge. During this day marked by innovation, collaboration and progress, actors from all walks of life (politicians, scientists, economists, medical experts, patients’ families) discussed the means to be implemented to accelerate the fight against childhood cancer. This edition was marked by an intervention by the Minister of Health, who came to support the cause of childhood cancer.
During the year we also worked on the creation of the new Paris Kids Cancer center of excellence, the certification of which by the National Cancer Institute was announced in December. This major initiative brings together several partners including the teams from the Institut Curie, Gustave Roussy and the APHP to study resistance to treatments and the development of new avenues for immunotherapy.
At the end of November, we also signed a partnership with UNICANCER, which brings together the 19 cancer centers in France, and became a member of the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster working group dedicated to pediatrics and launched in December.
INTERNATIONALLY, MORE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH
We participate in several research consortia on data sharing (UNCAN), on new treatments against leukemia (inTreALL) and on a new generation of CarTcell in solid tumors (NexTgen of the Cancer Grand Challenge).
Our active contribution to new international projects allows us to act at the heart of therapeutic innovations for children and adolescents.
Also, our European call for projects Fight Kids Cancer, created in 2020 with the Belgian Kickcancer foundation and the Luxembourg Kriiskrank Kanner foundation, has expanded with the arrival in 2023 of two other Foundations; the CRIS foundation in Spain and the KIKA foundation in the Netherlands.
By the end of 2023, Fight Kids Cancer will have funded 30 European research projects for a total amount of 18 million euros.
We have thus demonstrated that an alliance of associations to jointly finance the best projects in Europe is now possible!
IMAGINE FOR MARGO STRENGTHENED ITS GOVERNANCE AND LAUNCHED A NEW COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN
In June, the association’s general assembly validated the association’s request for public utility recognition. This status will help to increase the influence and impact of Imagine for Margo.
An experienced research and mobilization manager also joined the team at the beginning of September in order to further strengthen our actions on these subjects.
A NEW CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS TO MILLIONS OF FRENCH PEOPLE
As part of our mission to raise awareness among the general public, we have launched a new awareness campaign, entitled “The Evolution” and telling the story of Louise, a young girl affected by the disease.
This campaign, awarded a GOLD at the Santé de Stratégies Grand Prix, was graciously distributed by numerous French media. Thanks to this system set up by our big-hearted media partner Mindshare, the cause of childhood cancer has been able to penetrate the daily lives of millions of French people. TV, billboards, press, cinema… Louise was everywhere to raise awareness among as many people as possible to accelerate research against childhood cancer.
During the month of September, Imagine for Margo also launched a digital awareness campaign: “Together let’s carry the butterfly of hope”. In fact, for a year, the Imagine for Margo teams, with the help of Chanel and the 84 agency, asked children being monitored at Gustave Roussy to draw a butterfly. The latter was then transformed into a filter and then posted online on Instagram and Tik Tok. The operation launched by star dancer and host Chris Marques made it possible to raise awareness among young people of our fight.
MORE AND MORE SOLIDARITY STRIDES DURING CANCER-FREE CHILDREN’S RUNS
In 2023, several thousand of you ran against childhood cancer in France and abroad. Whether via solidarity bibs on marathons, trails or iron man races around the world, during the 4th edition of the Children Without Cancer City race in La Défense, or during Children Without Cancer in September in the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud and online, there were nearly 8,000 big-hearted runners and walkers who put on your sneakers to speed up the research.
« LA DEFENSE » IN BLUE AND PINK
This year, nearly 1,400 solidarity runners and walkers were there on the square in Paris la Défense.
Thanks to the mobilization of more than 60 companies, numerous individuals, donors, our partners as well as our volunteers, 300,000 euros were given to Professor Alexandre Matet of the Institut Curie, to finance the CoBioRB research project, which will make it possible to better diagnose and better cure retinoblastoma.
This solidarity race will return to the « La Défense » square on May 30, 2024, you can already register by clicking here.
CHILDREN WITHOUT CANCER, A 12TH EDITION OF ALL RECORDS
Sunday September 24, 2023, at the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud and connected from Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and even Cuba or Berlin, a blue and pink tide set out against children’s cancer, counting 6,200 runners and walkers with big hearts.
Thanks to their mobilization, the generosity of more than 22,000 donors and numerous partners, a superb record check for 2,310,000 euros was given to the researchers.
This sum was supplemented by those collected during other races held in Luxembourg, Belgium and for the first time in Spain by the partner associations of Imagine for Margo. In total, we were able to allocate more than 4.3 million euros to programs supported by Fight Kids Cancer and funded 9 research projects. This record edition represents real hope for all children and adolescents in France and Europe.
NEARLY 200 EVENTS FOR CHILDREN without cancer
In 2023, more than 34 events in and outside the hospital were organized for nearly 350 families. Moments with the Republican Guard (international day against childhood cancer, Easter egg hunt, hospital visits, family Christmas, etc.), visits by street artists Jordane Saget and Nacks, meeting with the Paris firefighters or with the Tour de France caravan, cooking and visual arts workshops, visits to L’Equipe and BeIN sports… numerous activities have brought magnificent smiles to the little warriors fighting against illness.
185 collection events were carried out by partners of the association or by big-hearted volunteers who work alongside us. Rally of the Heart, Eclair Day, cross country and school fairs, extraordinary sporting challenges, once again, thousands of you supported the fight of the little warriors who are fighting against cancer.
ACT FOR THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND NURSING STAFF
Well-being was also one of the strong points of this new year of mobilization.
The socio-estheticians that we finance at the Nantes University Hospital and Necker University Hospital provided superb massages and moments of relaxation for the children and nursing staff. We also continued to invite many parents for Dana Escape “well-being” stays. An enchanted parenthesis in their daily struggle. These actions were accompanied by many other moments within or outside hospitals.
Our nutritional guide “Eat? Not even afraid ! » was published and distributed free of charge to families whose children are treated in the 31 pediatric oncology centers in France. Carried out thanks to the Carrefour heart loop operation, and in collaboration with doctors and dieticians from the SFCE (French Society for the Fight against Childhood and Adolescent Cancers and Leukemias), great Chefs cooks and Nutricia from DANONE, this guide aims to:
- Understand the issues of nutrition during treatments
- Give tips and advice to better manage the nutritional side at home
- Cooking as a family, rediscovering the desire and pleasure of eating
- Bring well-being to heal better
- Break down fears about nutrition during illness.
Discover the booklet “Eat? Not even afraid ! » by clicking here.
Indeed, in addition to the side effects, the treatments modify the perception of taste. Meals should no longer be an ordeal, but a moment of sharing, complicity and joy, despite illness. ” Eat ? Not even afraid ! » offers 40 recipes and advice to rediscover the pleasure of eating. A guide to consume without moderation!
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2023 will therefore have been a new year full of hope for all children fighting against illness. Therapeutic innovations, mobilization, awareness and well-being, the 4 missions of our association have punctuated the last 12 months. We look forward to seeing you again in 2024 to continue the fight against pediatric cancers together.
Another huge thank you to all our donors, our volunteers, our sponsor the Republican Guard and our partners who allow us to take a new step each year towards a world with cancer-free children.
If you would like to support the work of Imagine for Margo, you can make a donation by clicking here or go to this page to see the different ways you can help us.
GO FIGHT WIN and happy holidays to all!
[1] Comité d’Orientation Stratégique
[2] MEDEF is the first network of entrepreneurs in France
