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The Kids researchers seek cure for devastating gliomaThe Kids Research Institute Australia’s cancer researchers will use funds raised in the name of a brave three-year-old girl to launch a new assault on the devastating form of childhood cancer which took her life.

News & Events
Pioneering new treatments for leukaemia in children with Down syndromeA team of world-leading scientists has secured $5 million in funding from the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society to advance the fight against leukaemia in children with Down syndrome.

News & Events
Cancer immunotherapy in a tablet a step closer thanks to CUREator grantResearchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia and UWA will use a $500,000 CUREator grant to progress the development of the first cancer immunotherapy in a tablet.

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The Kids Research Institute Australia Cancer Researcher recognised in 2021 Business Events Perth Aspire AwardsOne of The Kids Research Institute Australia’s leading young researchers will travel to the world’s premier conference on childhood brain cancer.

News & Events
How to win friends and influence people: Cancer researchers talk the talk for big resultsIn the field of cancer research, lobbying efforts by the The Kids Cancer Centre have contributed to major initiatives including Australia’s first personalised medicine program for children with high-risk cancer, and a mission to boost survival rates in brain cancer patients.
Research
Comprehensive Testing of Chemotherapy and Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Preclinical Cancer Models Identifies Additive CombinationsAntibodies that target immune checkpoints such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA‐4) and the programmed cell death protein 1/ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) are now a treatment option for multiple cancer types. However, as a monotherapy, objective responses only occur in a minority of patients. Chemotherapy is widely used in combination with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Although a variety of isolated immunostimulatory effects have been reported for several classes of chemotherapeutics, it is unclear which chemotherapeutics provide the most benefit when combined with ICB.
Research
A surveillance clinic for children and adolescents with, or at risk of, hereditary cancer predisposition syndromesHereditary cancer predisposition syndromes (HCPS) account for at least 10% of paediatric cancers.1 Li‐Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a dominant HCPS caused by mutations in the TP53 gene and is associated with an 80–90% lifetime risk of cancer, commencing in infancy.2 Children of affected individuals are at 50% risk of inheriting the family mutation.
Research
Whole genome, transcriptome and methylome profiling enhances actionable target discovery in high-risk pediatric cancerThe Zero Childhood Cancer Program is a precision medicine program to benefit children with poor-outcome, rare, relapsed or refractory cancer. Using tumor and germline whole genome sequencing (WGS) and RNA sequencing (RNAseq) across 252 tumors from high-risk pediatric patients with cancer, we identified 968 reportable molecular aberrations.
Research
Down syndrome and leukemia: from basic mechanisms to clinical advancesChildren with Down syndrome (DS, trisomy 21) are at a significantly higher risk of developing acute leukemia compared to the overall population. Many studies investigating the link between trisomy 21 and leukemia initiation and progression have been conducted over the last two decades.
Research
Celebrating 100 years of Immunology & Cell Biology – a special focus on the field of tumor immunology in AustraliaIn this Commentary article, as part of the 100-year celebrations of the journal, we reflect on the contribution of articles published in ICB in the field of tumor immunology. A highlight is a series of interviews conducted with three Australian-based ICB authors who have contributed key papers over the years: Rajiv Khanna, Delia Nelson and Ian Frazer.