Children's Cancer Institute is an Australian

medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

institute An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

wholly dedicated to the prevention and treatment of

childhood cancer Childhood cancer is cancer in a child. About 80% of childhood cancer cases in high-income countries are being able to treat with modern treatments and good medical care. Yet, only 10% of children with cancer live in high-income countries where pro ...

. Established in 1976, the Institute is affililiated with both the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

and

Sydney Children's Hospital Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, is an Australian children's hospital located in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. On 1 July 2010 it became part of the newly formed Sydney Children's Hospitals Netwo ...

and is located in ,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. The Institute has been led by Professor Michelle Haber since its establishment.

History

In 1975, Jack Kasses and John Lough met in the waiting room of Sydney Children's Hospital where their daughter and son respectively were undergoing treatment for

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. Lough approached the Apex Club in Wollongong to raise money for cancer research. They started the "Help a Kid Make It" campaign – with a target of $1 million to facilitate research into childhood cancer. The Children's Leukaemia and Cancer Foundation was established in May 1976. The foundation evolved into Children's Cancer Institute, which opened its own research laboratories in 1984. The first scientists to join the Institute were Haber, who is now the Executive Director, Murray Norris , now the Deputy Director, and

Maria Kavallaris Maria Kavallaris is an Australian scientist, based at the University of New South Wales' Children's Cancer Institute, where she is best known for her contributions to the field of cancer research. On 25 January 2019, Kavallaris was appointed a me ...

, now Program Head, Tumour Biology & Targeting.

Research focus

The Institute is grouped into four main research units focused on the prevention and treatment of childhood cancer and include understanding childhood cancer, improving diagnosis, finding better treatments, and improving life after cancer.

Achievements

* Launched Zero Childhood Cancer program for the most serious cases of infant, childhood and adolescent cancer * Researchers showed a recently developed drug to have potential against an aggressive subtype of

acute lymphoblastic leukaemia Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes. Symptoms may include feeling tired, pale skin color, fever, easy bleeding or bruis ...

* Scientists identified a critical molecular 'feedback loop' that helps initiate and drive

neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma (NB) is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands but can also develop in the head, neck, chest, abdomen, or Vertebral column, spine. Symptoms may include ...

, and an experimental drug with the potential to interrupt the loop and halt tumour progression * Opened a new international clinical trial for aggressive relapsed neuroblastoma * A novel test developed that doubled the survival rate from 35 per cent to 70 per cent for high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Fundraising initiatives

The Institute undertakes a range of fundraising initiatives including 'Build for a Cure', where a newly-constructed and fully furnished home in was sold at auction in 2014 for 783,000.

Scott Cam Scott Cam (born 24 November 1962) is an Australian television presenter, a recipient of the Gold Logie appearing on several lifestyle programmes on the Nine Network. He is best known as the host of the hit reality TV renovation show '' The B ...

was an ambassador for the initiative. The Institute is also the beneficiary of many events held annually throughout Australia.

References

External links