Fight Kids Cancer is an unprecedented European call for projects that we launched in 2020 with the Belgian KickCancer Foundation and the Luxembourg Kriibskrank Kanner Foundation, in collaboration with the ESF – European Science Foundation – and a committee of international scientific experts.
In 2022, 28 research projects were evaluated according to three criteria – patient impact, scientific excellence and innovation. 5 of them have been selected and will receive funding from Imagine for Margo, as well as from KickCancer, Kriibskrank Kanner and the Italian Federation FIAGOP.
100% of the funds raised during our Children without Cancer race, on September 25, 2022, will be allocated to Fight Kids Cancer projects.
FIGHT KIDS CANCER 2022: 5 PROGRAMS SELECTED TO CURE MORE AND BETTER!
BEACON 2, a clinical trial for relapsed neuroblastoma
The BEACON 2 clinical trial aims at assessing the effect of two promising treatments identified in the BEACON trial between 2013 and 2021. These combine chemotherapy with two new anti-cancer drugs (Bevacizumab and Dintutuximab beta) with the objective to cure more children with fewer side effects.
- Number of patients: 160
- Project duration: 3 years
- Recruitment start date: January 2023
- Institution: Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, University of Barcelona, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom)
- Principal Investigator: Dr. Lucas Moreno
- Countries: United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, Norway, Israel, as well as Australia and New Zealand
HEM-iSMART, a personalized medicine trial on leukemia and lymphoma
The HEM-iSMART trial is a personalized medicine trial in which children with relapsed leukemia or lymphoma will receive treatment tailored to the specific genetic alteration(s) present in their tumors.
- Number of patients: 60
- Project duration: 3 years
- Recruitment start date: January 2023
- Institution: Princess Maxima Center, Amsterdam UMC (the Netherlands)
- Principal investigator: Prof. Michel Zwaan
- Countries: the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium (in total, centers will be opened in 14 European countries and Israel)
- In collaboration with the ITCC (Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer) consortium, the European Intergroup for Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (EICNHL) and the “I-BFM-Resistant Disease” (RD) committee.
SACHA International, a study to secure innovative therapies administered outside of clinical trials
The SACHA international registry aims at collecting data on innovative therapies administered outside of clinical trials to children, teenagers and young adults with pediatric malignancies. This will allow the therapies used in this context to be closely monitored, in order to quickly stop them when they are ineffective/toxic or to accelerate the development of clinical trials if antitumor activity is detected.
- Number of patients: 500 per year
- Recruitment start date: early 2023
- Promoter: Gustave Roussy (France)
- Principal investigator: Dr. Pablo Berlanga
- Countries concerned: France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand
Prevention of neuroblastoma relapses
This project aims at identifying the origin of relapses in neuroblastoma and testing whether a new generation of drugs is effective in inhibiting the development of relapses.
- Project duration: 2 years
- Recruitment start date: early 2023
- Institution: UMC, Amsterdam UMC (the Netherlands)
- Principal investigator: Dr Rogier Versteeg
- Country: the Netherlands, Germany
PG-LMA, a new genomic methodology to treat acute myeloid leukemia
This project aims at improving the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), based on a new genomic methodology that will not only determine the response to treatment, but also characterize the leukemia cells that remain resistant to treatment. The objective is to identify new drugs that can overcome this resistance and adapt the treatment to each child with AML, thus improving the chances of recovery.
- Project duration: 2 years
- Recruitment start date: early 2023
- Institution: Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel (Israel)
- Principal Investigator: Dr. Shai Izraeli
- Country: Israel
