Funded by The Little Princess Trust and administered by CCLG
Lead investigator: Dr Jonathan Bond, University College Dublin
Award: £78,303.03
Awarded January 2021
The treatment of childhood blood cancers has improved hugely over the past few decades, and most cases of leukaemia in young people in the UK and Ireland are now cured. Much of this improvement has come from research into the genetic mutations in leukaemia cells, which helps determine how each patient with blood cancer should best be treated.
Similar improvements have not been possible in low-income countries, mainly due to lack of financial resources. However scientific advances mean that it is now relatively quick and inexpensive to do comprehensive mutational testing known as ‘next-generation sequencing’. There is no longer a financial barrier to use this technology in places like Tanzania.We will use this technology to analyse mutations in leukaemia cells from children in Tanzania. This extends a long-standing collaboration with Children’s Health Ireland in Dublin, who have helped to support the treatment of Tanzanian children with cancer for over a decade.
These tests will reveal the genetic mutations present in leukaemia cells of African patients for the first time. We will also use a scientific approach called ‘systems biology’ to investigate how these mutations drive cancer cells to grow and resist treatment. Systems biology methods use computer models to analyse the internal molecular wiring of leukaemia cells, allowing more efficient prediction of what treatments work best for each patient.
This research will help us to accurately adapt therapies and to improve how African children with leukaemia are treated. We also predict that our results will flag cases that need specific ‘designer’ anti-leukaemia drugs, including less expensive medications that would be cost-effective in a lower income setting. This project will be a true collaboration with our colleagues in Tanzania and will build the long-term foundation for the clinical and scientific teamwork needed to overcome the global challenge of childhood cancer.