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Research
Reproducible Bioinformatics Analysis Workflows for Detecting IGH Gene Fusions in B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia PatientsB-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) is characterised by diverse genomic alterations, the most frequent being gene fusions detected via transcriptomic analysis (mRNA-seq). Due to its hypervariable nature, gene fusions involving the Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain (IGH) locus can be difficult to detect with standard gene fusion calling algorithms and significant computational resources and analysis times are required. We aimed to optimize a gene fusion calling workflow to achieve best-case sensitivity for IGH gene fusion detection.
Research
Preclinical efficacy of azacitidine and venetoclax for infant KMT2A-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia reveals a new therapeutic strategyInfants with KMT2A-rearranged B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have a dismal prognosis. Survival outcomes have remained static in recent decades despite treatment intensification and novel therapies are urgently required.
Research
Silencing of TESTIN by dense biallelic promoter methylationAberrant promoter DNA methylation has been reported in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and has the potential to contribute to its onset and outcome

News & Events
Beyond the horizon: improving cancer outcomes for Indigenous childrenDr Jessica Buck, a researcher at The Kids Research Institute Australia Cancer Centre and a Kamilaroi woman, is on a mission to address the unique challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with cancer.

News & Events
Lab results confirm promise of new immunotherapy gel for kids cancerNewly published research from The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia has found a gel applied during surgery to treat sarcoma tumours is both safe and highly effective at preventing the cancer from growing back.

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Replication of rare aggressive brain cancer could pave the way for better treatmentsIn an Australian-first, The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers have developed a new tool that could improve outcomes for children with a highly aggressive type of brain cancer.

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'Natural killers' potential new cancer weaponThe Cancer Immunology team at The Kids is investigating how the body's 'natural killer' cells can be harnessed to fight cancer – whilst also protecting kids from nasty chemotherapy side effects.
News & Events
Experts Pledge Global Assault on Kids’ CancerA global plan to tackle one of the most aggressive types of childhood brain tumours will be developed as a result of a meeting of international experts in WA.
Research
The Challenge of Diagnosing Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Children: A Review of Existing and Emerging ToolsInvasive pulmonary aspergillosis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality for immunocompromised children, particularly for patients with acute leukaemia and those undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Timely diagnosis, using a combination of computed tomography (CT) imaging and microbiological testing, is key to improve prognosis, yet there are inherent challenges in this process. For CT imaging, changes in children are generally less specific than those reported in adults and recent data are limited.

News & Events
NHMRC funding boost to child health researchThe Kids researchers will use nearly $8.5 million awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to tackle health issues including respiratory disease, brain cancer, vaccination and Aboriginal health.