Funded by The Little Princess Trust and administered by CCLG
Lead investigator: Dr Juliet Gray, University of Southampton
Award: £111,236
Awarded August 2019
Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that mostly affects babies and younger children. Often intensive treatment is required, involving combinations of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. However, long-term survival for many children with high-risk neuroblastoma can still be poor. More recently a new treatment option, ‘immunotherapy’ with anti-GD2 antibodies has become available and is starting to become routinely used. However, whilst early clinical trials have shown significantly improved long-term survival for children with high-risk neuroblastoma, more research data is required about how best to combine this newer therapy with other treatments.
Immunotherapies work by attempting to stimulate the body’s own immune system to reject and destroy tumours. Whilst the anti-GD2 immunotherapy clearly reduces early relapse rates, the long-term results are less certain, with a concern that in some children relapse is only delayed and not prevented. A number of international clinical trials (BEACON amendment, SIOPEN Pilot study and MiNivAN trial) are seeking to improve the effectiveness of anti-GD2 therapy for neuroblastoma patients by finding out the best way of combining it with other treatment options.
Dr Gray’s research project will contribute an important part of these clinical trial investigations. They will analyse blood samples from neuroblastoma patients who are part of these trials to assess the effects of each of the combination therapies on the immune system and the ability of the patient’s immune cells to kill neuroblastoma cells. Ultimately, this research will contribute to guidance about what are the most optimal combinations of treatment, and also to identify which patients will benefit most from these therapies, so that more children with neuroblastoma can be cured without the need for more toxic treatment.