Sarcoma accelerator to speed up childhood cancer research

Cancer remains the number-one disease-related killer of Australian children, and a new program at Hudson Institute of Medical Research has been established to specifically target one of the most deadly cancers – sarcoma.

One-in-five childhood cancers is a sarcoma – a rare type of cancer that originates in connective tissue, including fat, muscle, bone and cartilage. They can develop anywhere in the body and are among the most common types of solid tumours in children. Sarcoma is also, for the third year in succession, projected to be the leading cause of cancer related death in the 10-24 age group in Australia.

Thanks to the inspiring generosity of the Hofer Muir Philanthropic Organisation together with the Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation, Professor Ron Firestein and Associate Professor Jason Cain will spend the next two years leading a team searching for new and better treatments for children with sarcoma. 

Finding tailored treatments

Under this program, termed the Sarcoma Accelerator, they will create a comprehensive collection of tumour samples from sarcoma patients, grow them as avatar / Cell-line models, and use cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), to study these samples in detail. This will help the team discover new treatment options that are more effective and tailored to each patient’s specific type of sarcoma. By understanding the unique characteristics of each tumour, the goal is to develop targeted therapies that are more likely to be effective.

Cell line models will be comprehensively profiled in three dimensions (genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic) to provide both gene-specific and pathway level analyses of sarcoma cancer models. The models and associated data developed as part of this initiative will form an invaluable resource that will help researchers identify and utilise appropriate models of sarcomas for investigational research. Data will be shared via the Childhood Cancer Model Atlas portal with the research community. This publicly available database has already been used in more than 50 countries and will aid any sarcoma research at a global scale.

Prof Firestein and A/Prof Cain expect this new program to be a game-changer in the fight against childhood sarcoma.

Cutting-edge sarcoma research

“We will create a comprehensive collection of tumour samples from sarcoma patients and use cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), to study these samples in detail,” Prof Firestein said.

“This will help us discover new treatment options that are more effective and tailored to each patient’s specific type of sarcoma.”

Colin Brading, A/Chair of the Cooper Rice-Brading Foundation, remarked, “We are profoundly committed to advancing sarcoma research in Australia. The innovative research spearheaded by A/Prof Jason Cain is anticipated to pave the way for new, more effective treatments. Hudson Institute, is a recognised global leader in paediatric cancer research, and as such, is the ideal partner for this crucial collaboration.”

The potential of discovering answers to the complex questions that currently elude our brightest scientific minds has the potential to be a transformative breakthrough in the fight against childhood sarcomas. Such advancements could bring much-needed hope to countless families affected by this devastating disease, fundamentally altering the landscape of paediatric sarcomas.

Collaborative sarcoma research providing hope

“By understanding the unique characteristics of each tumour, we can develop targeted therapies that are more likely to be effective. This approach has the potential to improve survival rates and quality of life for young patients living with sarcoma.” said A/Prof Cain.

As part of our collaboration with the Zero Childhood Cancer Program, samples will be collected from children’s hospitals across Australia and internationally as well.

Sarcoma samples will be analysed using an innovative molecular pipeline developed at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, that streamlines the identification of cancer precision medicines.

This program will leverage advanced technologies and international collaborations to create a valuable resource for sarcoma research. The data and tumour models we develop will be shared with the global research community to accelerate the discovery of new treatments. The goal is to bring hope to families affected by sarcoma and improve the outcomes for children with this challenging disease.

Hudson Institute’s sarcoma program includes both clinical and discovery research projects utilising a broad range of patient tissue, in vitro and in vivo preclinical models, and techniques. Read more about the Sarcoma Program.