The Little Princess Trust (LPT) has announced three new research projects will be funded by its prestigious Innovation Grant. Awarded in partnership with Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group, LPT’s Innovation Grant aims to fund promising and inspired new research ideas.
LPT is a major funder of childhood cancer research, and works in partnership with CCLG, using our significant research expertise to run and manage its research programme to ensure that only the best research and researchers are funded.
The Innovation Grant scheme aims to fund innovative, hypothesis-led research projects that aim to bring inspired and novel treatments to children sooner whilst minimising the side effects of treatment.
This year’s Innovation Grant received many impressive research proposals, with three exciting projects being awarded funding, led by Mr Max Pachl, Dr Madhumita Dandapani and Dr Antonios Pouliopoulos respectively.
The GLOSurgery project
In a clinical trial, Mr Max Pachl will be testing whether the use of a special dye called idocyanine green can make children’s cancer surgeries safer and easier for patients with solid tumours. This is the first clinical trial in the world to compare the use of the dye to surgery without dye.
Indocyanine green can be injected into the bloodstream before surgery and collects within the tumour, where it glows green under near infra-red light. This means the surgeon can see exactly where the tumour is, making it easier to remove all of it and to avoid damaging healthy organs.
Mr Pachl said:
It is amazing to have been given the opportunity to do something which will advance children’s cancer surgery in the UK and beyond.
It is amazing to have been given the opportunity to do something which will advance children’s cancer surgery in the UK and beyond.
This grant will lead to changes in the management of children’s cancer surgery around the world with the aim of making that surgery easier, better and safer.
The glowing tumour trial
Dr Madhumita Dandapani will also be investigating the use of a dye, but for brain tumour surgery.
She said: “Adults having brain tumour surgery for glioblastoma are given the ‘pink drink’ dye three hours before surgery.
“The dye makes tumour cells glow pink under a special light, whilst the normal brain does not glow.
“This helps them remove the whole tumour, which has improved outcomes for adults with glioblastoma over the last decade."
This research is a partnership between researchers at the University of Nottingham, where Dr Dandapani is based, neurosurgical teams in Nottingham, four other NHS trusts, and the University College London clinical trials unit. The researchers will run a clinical trial to see whether the ‘pink drink’ dye 5-ALA works as well in children as it does in adults. They will look at factors such as whether only the tumour cells glow, as well as seeing whether more tumour is removed in surgeries using the dye.
Dr Dandapani also thanked all of the fundraisers:
“We would like to thank everyone who has supported this project.
Every donation to the Little Princess trust and CCLG, however big or small, goes a long way to fund key research projects, including this grant.
Your support will help us innovate for children and improve outcomes for children with brain tumours.
Delivering medicines safely
Also studying brain tumours, Dr Antonios Pouliopoulos is developing a new treatment that uses ultrasound waves to deliver medicines to where they are needed. He is working on a particularly difficult to treat brain tumour, called diffuse midline glioma.
It is difficult to get most medications into the brain, because the blood vessels are shielded by the blood brain barrier. This is very selective about what is allowed into the brain, and medications are often barred from entry.
Dr Pouliopoulos will be packing special molecules, called liposomes, with medication. The researchers will administer this with another special particle which can temporarily open the blood brain barrier. The medication will be guided by ultrasound waves, which will cause the liposomes to release their medicines when they reach the tumour. This will help get the drugs to where they are needed whilst reducing the amount of chemotherapy a child’s body is subjected to.
He explained:
“We believe that using focused ultrasound and drug-loaded liposomes can revolutionise the way we treat paediatric brain tumours.
“The only way to treat childhood cancer is to develop new techniques and innovative methods that improve the patients’ quality of life and extend their lifetime.
“Your ongoing support means the world to us and to all the patients. “
CCLG is proud to be supporting such innovative research projects in partnership with the LPT.
Ashley Gamble, Chief Executive at CCLG, said: “We are proud of our partnership with the Little Princess Trust, which brings together some of the best and most forward-thinking minds to change the future for children with cancer.
“The ground-breaking ideas seen in these Innovation Grant projects will be a huge step forward for childhood cancer care and treatment, and ultimately help improve outcomes for children with cancer.”
Wendy Tarplee-Morris, who set up the Little Princess Trust in memory of her daughter Hannah, is excited to see the changes these projects will bring to children with cancer.
She said:
“We are thrilled to have been able to award three successful applications in this year’s Innovation Grant round.
Each of the projects offer exciting potential for children and young people with cancer to improve their outcomes.
We were able to fund multiple projects due to the incredible support we have received from our fundraisers, which allows us to fund this important work.