Our President, Patricia Blanc, participated on March 6 at the Cancer Grand Challenges Summit in London, a global initiative that financially supports teams of multidisciplinary researchers to tackle the biggest challenges in the field of cancer research.
Its role: to contribute to ensuring that research has the greatest possible impact for children and adolescents.
Great news ! On this occasion, two new major projects on pediatric cancers will be supported with $25 million each!
Our president is a member of one of them, the PROTECT project.
PROTECT: THE PROJECT THAT BOOSTS THE FIGHT AGAINST PEDIATRIC CANCERS
PROTECT is a multidisciplinary project of global scope, which aims at developing innovative treatments for the most aggressive childhood cancers (Ewing sarcoma, high-grade gliomas, neuroblastoma, etc.). In addition to this dynamic, driven by strong synergy between internationally recognized researchers, this project also contains a component aimed at better structuring and better financing innovation in pediatric oncology. The objective is to respond to the lack of funding and economic attractiveness in the development of new therapies for childhood cancers.
This second part of the PROTECT program will be led by members from international associations: Patricia Blanc (Imagine for Margo, France), Nancy Goodman (Kids v Cancer, USA), Sam Daems (Waterland Private Equity, Netherlands), Delphine Heenen (Kick Cancer, Belgium), Neil Hutchin (Magic Water, USA), Dena Sherwood (Arms Wide Open Childhood Cancer Foundation, USA) as well as a collaborator from the LifeArc Foundation (UK). Furthermore, this latter philanthropic organization strongly and financially supports this part of the PROTECT program. Finally, the team will also rely on experts in pediatric oncology (Accelerate and ITCC networks for example).
12 MONTHS TO MEET PATIENT NEEDS
Over the next 12 months, the team will be responsible for:
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Map unmet needs in the field of pediatric cancers:
- Identify current gaps in available treatments for pediatric cancers.
- Analyze the specific needs of pediatric patients in terms of diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.
- Assess the socio-economic, geographic and cultural factors that may influence access to care for children with cancer.
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Identify and prioritize potential therapies:
- Examine recent advances in cancer research, focusing on innovative treatments and promising approaches for pediatric cancers.
- Evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of different therapies, including targeted therapies, immunotherapy and gene therapies, in the context of pediatric cancers.
- Determine selection criteria to prioritize the most promising therapies to develop.
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Design efficient economic models adapted to pediatric oncology
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Advocate for regulatory and legal reforms to promote the development of these therapies in as many countries as possible:
- Identify regulatory and legal barriers that hinder the development, approval and access to pediatric cancer treatments.
- Work with governments, regulators and international organizations to promote reforms that accelerate innovation in pediatric oncology and facilitate access to treatments for children around the world.
With the expertise of all stakeholders involved and the resources provided by LifeArc, this work will be crucial to innovatively meeting the needs of patients, with a particular focus on improving the chances of cure for high-risk cancers. risk in children and the development of therapies with as few side effects as possible.
CANCER GRAND CHALLENGES… AN INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE TO FIGHT CHILDhood CANCER
Launched in 2015, the Cancer Grand Challenges is a collaboration between Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research), as well as other international partners including, this year, the National Cancer Institute and the Stichting Kinderen Kankervrij (KiKa) foundation.
Patricia Blanc has also been part, since 2020, of the NexTGen project which aims to provide children with sarcomas and brain tumors with new generation CAR-T cell therapies in order to fight more effectively against these diseases.
“After NexTGen, the Grand Cancer Challenges is once again integrating pediatrics into its funding by supporting this multidisciplinary research program of which I am a stakeholder. Today we live in a time full of hope for the thousands of children and adolescents who are fighting against the disease. Margo’s message “Go, Fight, Win” is being transformed into reality thanks to the convergence of all national, European and international actions carried out by associations, the industry, public authorities…”
The fight goes on !
Read our press release on the PROTECT projectpress release on the PROTECT project
