Each of these studies contributes to achieving the mission shared by the Máxima Center and KiKa: to cure every child with cancer, with optimal quality of life. ‘It is very important to continue making scientific progress in order to reach our goals. We are very grateful to KiKa and its donors for funding these five new projects,’ says Laurens van der Flier, managing director of research.
New approach to treating Ewing sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma is a rare and aggressive type of childhood cancer that develops in bones or soft tissues, such as muscles. Dr. Matheus Dos Santos Dias and Prof. Dr. Hans Merks are exploring a completely new approach to treating the disease. They aim to strongly activate specific signaling pathways. The tumor cells would not be able to cope with this and would therefore die and become more sensitive to medication. In the lab, they are testing with existing drugs whether this strategy, previously proven effective in colon cancer, also works in Ewing sarcoma. In this way, they hope to pave the way for more effective treatment for children with this type of cancer, with fewer long-term side effects.
Targeted therapy for brain and solid tumors
Targeted therapies attack cancer cells while sparing healthy cells as much as possible. Several targeted therapies that recognize the ‘GD2’ marker on cancer cells are showing great promise. Dr. Judith Wienke and Dr. Claudia Rössig are preparing for the optimal use of GD2-targeted therapies in children with brain or solid tumors. They will develop better methods to measure GD2 on tumor cells. They also aim to find out why some children do not respond to this therapy and to explore ways to increase the amount of GD2 on the surface of tumor cells for a more effective targeted treatment. By working closely with physicians, the researchers aim for rapid translation of the research results into clinical practice.
Immunotherapy as a new treatment for Burkitt lymphoma
Burkitt lymphoma is an aggressive but well-treatable form of lymphoma. However, current immunochemotherapy can cause many side effects. Therefore, Prof. Dr. Annemiek van Spriel of Radboud University Medical Center and Dr. Friederike Meyer-Wentrup of the Máxima Center are investigating a new immunotherapy that works without chemotherapy. In the lab, they are testing how well the therapy works and how effectively it binds to the tumor. The goal: to develop the most efficient immunotherapy to eliminate Burkitt lymphoma cells.
Overcoming therapy resistance in ATRT
Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) are rare and aggressive brain tumors that mainly occur in young children. Recent research has shown that gemcitabine, a type of chemotherapy, can be used in the treatment of children with ATRT. However, using gemcitabine alone is not sufficient to cure ATRT, as the tumor becomes resistant to the treatment over time. Prof. Dr. Jarno Drost and Dr. Esther Hulleman are studying why this happens. By tracking tumor cells in the lab and in mouse studies, they aim to unravel the mechanisms behind therapy resistance and test ways to overcome it.
Understanding the development of secondary cancers
An increasing number of children are cured of cancer. However, some develop cancer again later in life. Dr. Sanne van Neerven is investigating whether this is caused by certain DNA mutations that are already ‘dormant’ before treatment and are selected and stimulated by the treatment to grow. Using mouse models, she studies how these dormant mutations develop. This research will help better predict the risk of secondary cancers and may one day help prevent them altogether.
