The Gideon Gratzer PhD Scholarhip

$90,000 over 3 years

The PhD project funded by GIDEON GRATZER family, aims to identify and validate new druggable targets for paediatric HHGs. It focuses on a biological molecule that allows damaged cells and those with genetic changes which would normally be destroyed and removed from the normal population to survive and become cancerous. By stopping the action of this molecule, we can potentially prevent tumour growth, also allow those tumour cells to undergo the natural programmed cell death. In its second year, it has already confirmed the role of this molecule in paediatric tumour cell lines.

The Grace Money Molecular Oncology Grant

Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne

$196,278 over 2 years

Together with the GRACE MONEY family, we are supporting a molecular oncologist position at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. This funding allows brain tumours to be accurately classified according to their genetic signature, which, in some cases, influences treatment options. It also advances research into more precise, individualised treatments for children with solid and/or brain tumours. As a direct result of funding this position, the RCH will increase its participation in brain cancer and/or solid tumour paediatric and adolescent clinical trials beyond the trials currently open.

The Alfie Chivers Project

Hudson Institute of Medical Research

$462,266 for two fellowships over 4 years

In memory of Alfie Chivers, and in collaboration with the Chivers family, RCD funded a research fellow at the Hudson Medical Institute to characterise and screen a cohort of over 30 childhood high grade glioma models for new therapeutic targets, as part of a large international collaboration with the Children’s Brain Tumour Network (CBTN) and other groups. Already, in the first two years, this project has yielded significant discoveries, with a number of druggable targets identified, specific to childhood brain tumours as compared to adult brain cancers. Next steps are validating these effects in animal models before progressing into human trials for which a second fellowship has now been funded for another two years.

CERN Robert Connor Dawes Fellowship Scientific Fellowship

US $200,000 (RCD $100,000) 2 years per fellowship

We now proudly congratulate the 2022 Fellowship recipient, Dr Kendra Maass, based at the Hopp Children’s Tumor Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). She is studying the cellular transport pathways in which Ependymoma cancer cells can spread via the blood to other sites in the body. By better understanding and characterising the role of extracellular vesicles in Ependymoma metastases, Dr Maass hopes to identify points in the transport pathway which can be targeted to stop the spread of the cancerous cells.

AIM Brain Project

Australian & New Zealand Children’s Haemotology / Oncology Group (ANZCHOG)

$2 million total investment (RCDF $333,000) over 3 years + now a further $300,000 to translate.

Our foundation has partnered with the Federal Government and Carries Beanies 4 Brain Cancer to validate new diagnostic test for patients with brain cancer, that changes the diagnosis and treatment in up to 20% of cases.

More about the project

Robert Connor Dawes Research Program

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI)

$500 000 over 5 years

Headed up by Dr. Misty Jenkins (pictured) the program will investigate how immunotherapy – treatments that harness the body’s own immune system to fight their cancer – can be tailored to treat paediatric brain cancer.

More about the program

CONNECT

Monash Children’s Cancer Centre

$50,000 / 12 months

This year RCD became a funding partner of the COllaborative Network for Neuro-oncology Clinical Trials. Involving nineteen hospitals and institutions across Australia, North America and Europe, CONNECT, conducts clinical trials in high-risk paediatric brain tumours to investigate combinations of novel drugs with traditional therapies. It provides a unique, agile platform for basic science discoveries to be rapidly tested around the globe. As a funder, we contribute to enabling infrastructure, ensuring participation from Australia and America and the evolution of an operational framework meeting theunmet needs across the globe.

Robert Connor Dawes CERN Fellowship

Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN)

$120 000 over 2 years

In partnership with our US charity, $30,000/year from each and CERN,  the best and brightest will be selected for this coveted Fellowship investigating Ependymoma.

More about the project.

TISSUE BANK

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute

$40,000 over two years

Tumour tissue samples are vital to understanding how paediatric brain cancers occur, spread and how to treat them, especially given the differences between the types and heterogeneity even within a single tumour type and individual patient. RCD continues to contribute funding to the Children’s Cancer Centre Tissue Bank based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute which collects tissues from patients at the Royal Children’s Hospital for research purposes. Samples are shared with other research institutions locally, nationally and internationally to facilitate more than 20 projects.

Zero Childhood Cancer Program

Children’s Cancer Institute Australia

$100 000 over 3 years

Personalised medicine is literally the cutting edge of cancer treatment. Through new discoveries about how DNA and cancer are linked, individually targeted therapies can be investigated for each child.