Childhood Cancers

In Progress Research

Tumour-targeted therapy for paediatric brain cancer

Data gathered in New Zealand between 2010 and 2014 shows that central nervous system cancers, including brain cancers, contributed to 20% of all childhood cancers (ages 0 to 14).  Brain cancer in children is very challenging to treat and puts families under significant financial and emotional stress. Blood brain barrier makes treatment difficult There is a considerable body of research…

Looking for an earlier, less damaging treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Professor Ian Morison University of Otago Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). Once a death sentence, ALL is now curable in 80-90 per cent of cases. While this is a wonderful achievement, treatment can result in a variety of adverse outcomes,…

Investigating methods of treating childhood cancer more gently and with less long-term adverse effect

Dr Andy Wood University of Auckland What is the problem and who does it affect? Cancer is a leading cause of childhood death in New Zealand.  Approximately 150 children under the age of 14 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer every year. One particularly aggressive form of cancer is the blood cancer acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) which results…

Recently Completed Research

Identification of therapeutic pathways in leukaemia via glucocorticoid-induced changes in DNA methylation.

Professor Ian Morison University of Otago, Dunedin  What is the problem and who does it affect? Many childhood cancers are life-threatening, and current treatments are often insufficient to fight off the rapidly multiplying cancerous cells. Conventional chemotherapy still fails in approximately 20 per cent of patients who’ve been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).   What is this project hoping to…

Real stories of kids living with Childhood Cancer