Skip to content

Search

Grants power next wave of childhood cancer research

Eight childhood cancer researchers have been awarded over $2 million in transformative grants from Cancer Council WA to advance their pioneering work in improving cancer treatments and outcomes for patients in Western Australia and around the world.

Researcher to run 30 marathons in 30 days for kids with brain cancer

On Monday 1 September, childhood cancer researcher Jacob Byrne is lacing up his running shoes and taking the first steps of an extraordinary challenge: 30 marathons in 30 days across Perth.

Setting the agenda: Urgent priorities to close the childhood cancer gap for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

A review led by the First Nations Childhood Cancer team at The Kids Research Institute Australia has highlighted the urgent need for Indigenous-specific studies focused on cancer outcomes, survivorship and equity.

Rapid diagnosis for childhood brain cancer in WA

The Kids Research Institute Australia's Brain Tumour Research team will develop and implement cutting-edge technologies to revolutionise the speed of brain cancer diagnosis for WA children, thanks to more than $200,000 from Telethon.

New study uncovers dual benefit of bone-protecting treatment for childhood leukaemia

A groundbreaking study from cancer researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia has identified a promising new therapeutic strategy for children battling the most common childhood cancer – B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Finding new treatments for rare brain cancers in infants

The WA Kids Cancer Centre has secured $1.1 million in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund’s (MRFF) Paediatric Brain Cancer Research Stream 2 to develop more effective and less toxic treatments for rare brain cancers in infants.

Pioneering paediatric oncologist receives top cancer research award

Associate Professor Rishi Kotecha, Co-Head of Leukaemia Translational Research at The Kids Research Institute Australia Cancer Centre and Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at Perth Children's Hospital, has been named Cancer Council WA’s 2024 Cancer Researcher of the Year.

Pharmacological inhibition of sclerostin protects bone from B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia-mediated destruction

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common pediatric cancer. Current therapeutic regimens have improved 5-year event-free survival rates to 90%, however clinical outcomes for high-risk subgroups, such as BCR-ABL1+ B-ALL and relapsed ALL, remain poor. In addition, 16% of newly diagnosed children with ALL present with vertebral compression fractures. Moreover, 16% of children with ALL undergoing glucocorticoid therapy also experience a high incidence of vertebral fractures, indicating that bone health may be compromised by both leukemia progression and osteotoxicity of chemotherapy.

Myeloablative Busulfan, Fludarabine and Melphalan Conditioning for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Childhood Myeloid Malignancy

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a proven curative therapy for children with high-risk myeloid malignancies. Disease relapse, transplant-related mortality and graft versus host disease (GvHD) are the main causes of treatment failure and death post-transplant. The optimum pretransplant conditioning regimen is yet to be defined. There is limited data regarding the use of busulfan, fludarabine and melphalan as a myeloablative conditioning regimen in children receiving HSCT for myeloid malignancies.

Melanoma

Melanoma, also known as malignant melanoma, occurs when abnormal skin cells multiply rapidly in an uncontrolled way.