Developing less toxic treatment approaches for childhood brain cancer

Background

Brain cancer kills more children than any other disease in Australia, affecting up to 200 children every year. The most common childhood brain cancer is called medulloblastoma and up to 40% of children with high-risk disease will die. Those who do survive often face lifelong side-effects including developmental issues, heart problems, hearing loss and increased risk of developing other cancers later in life due to highly toxic chemo- and radio–therapies used to treat their disease. Current treatment has not changed in 30 years. New and effective therapies are urgently needed to improve the survival and quality of life of children with medulloblastoma. 

The research

Professor Nicholas Gottardo is developing a less toxic therapy which uses the patient’s own immune system to fight the brain cancer cells. The aim is to improve survival and minimise the long-lasting side effects associated with medulloblastoma treatment.  

The team has already shown this immunotherapy significantly extended survival in medulloblastoma pre-clinical models with minimal side effects. In this project, Professor Gottardo and his team will further test the immunotherapy in pre-clinical models to prove this new treatment will work in combination with current medulloblastoma treatments. Using two different models of high-risk medulloblastoma, the team will mimic current clinical treatment protocols – using radiotherapy – and combine their immunotherapy with standard treatment.