{"id":30847,"date":"2024-04-20T19:50:43","date_gmt":"2024-04-20T17:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imagineformargo.org\/?p=30847"},"modified":"2024-04-20T19:50:43","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T17:50:43","slug":"2023-a-year-filled-with-hope-for-children-and-adolescents-with-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imagineformargo.org\/en\/2023-a-year-filled-with-hope-for-children-and-adolescents-with-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"2023, A YEAR FILLED WITH HOPE FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH CANCER"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Actions<\/p>\n

GREAT VICTORIES IN RESEARCH AGAINST CHILDREN\u2019S CANCER<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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<\/strong> are tremendously hopeful: 8 children are considered \u201clong survivors\u201d of this hitherto incurable brain tumor!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

These results further pave the way towards a world with cancer-free children.<\/p>\n

A drug in syrup form is 80% more effective than conventional chemotherapy in childhood fibrosarcoma<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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<\/em>) 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.<\/p>\n

WORKING TOGETHER TO ACCELERATE RESEARCH IS PART OF IMAGINE FOR MARGO\u2019S DNA AND THE YEAR 2023 WAS MARKED BY SEVERAL MAJOR PARTNERSHIPS AND INITIATIVES:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

IN FRANCE, NEW PARTNERSHIPS ARE BEING BUILT<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The year began with the creation, within Imagine for Margo, of a Strategic Orientation Committee (COS[1]<\/a>) made up of eminent personalities; Prof. Agn\u00e8s 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]<\/a> 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<\/strong> dedicated to childhood and adolescent cancers. Work is underway with parliamentarians, industrialists, investors and academics.<\/p>\n

The month of February continued with the organization of the 10th FAST conference<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

During the year we also worked on the creation of the new Paris Kids Cancer center of excellence<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

At the end of November, we also signed a partnership with UNICANCER<\/strong>, which brings together the 19 cancer centers in France, and became a member of the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster working group dedicated to pediatrics<\/strong> and launched in December.<\/p>\n

INTERNATIONALLY, MORE FUNDING FOR RESEARCH<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We participate in several research consortia<\/strong> 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).<\/p>\n

Our active contribution to new international projects allows us to act at the heart of therapeutic innovations for children and adolescents.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, our European call for projects Fight Kids Cancer<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n

By the end of 2023, Fight Kids Cancer will have funded 30 European research projects for a total amount of 18 million euros.<\/p>\n

We have thus demonstrated that an alliance of associations to jointly finance the best projects in Europe is now possible!<\/p>\n

IMAGINE FOR MARGO STRENGTHENED ITS GOVERNANCE AND LAUNCHED A NEW COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A NEW CAMPAIGN TO RAISE AWARENESS TO MILLIONS OF FRENCH PEOPLE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As part of our mission to raise awareness among the general public, we have launched a new awareness campaign, entitled \u201cThe Evolution\u201d and telling the story of Louise, a young girl affected by the disease.<\/p>\n