Research into treatment

We need new drugs to fight leukaemia that won't put children’s future health at risk.

It's remarkable just how much things have changed since the 1960's; survival rates have improved dramatically, even in the last couple of years.

Today as many as four out of five children survive leukaemia.

The drugs used in chemotherapy are wonderfully effective; they have saved literally millions of lives over the last few decades.

But, the side-effects can be hard to bear and make children extremely unwell.

Chemotherapy may also have dangerous long-term side-effects.

These include risks of teenage cancers, heart damage and infertility. It seems incredibly unfair that a child can overcome the devastation of leukaemia but may then be diagnosed with another cancer.

Exciting new alternatives
Thanks to your support, we have been able to award funding of £1,108,039 to Great Ormond Street Hospital for four projects looking at alternatives to conventional chemotherapy.

The aim of this work is not only to avoid some of the toxicity associated with current chemotherapy and radiotherapy regimes, but also to offer hope to the 20% of children who are still being failed by current treatments.

Read about research into alternatives to chemotherapy

Less toxic drugs
We're funding a ground-breaking research taking place at University College London (UCL).

Dr Pablo Rodriguez-Viciana has been recruited from California to lead research into a gene that is involved in up to a third of all cancers, including childhood leukaemias.

Dr Rodriguez-Viciana has discovered a protein which can interact with the abnormal gene, allowing it to 'switch off' and return growth to normal. He will test this further, with the ultimate aim of developing selective, less toxic drugs that can stop leukaemias and other cancers in their tracks.

This is just one strand of a £1 million programme of research we are funding at the new Cancer Centre at UCL.

Read about this ground breaking research

Your support is giving hope to so many children and their families, but there's still so much to do. Your continued support is making a difference. Thank you.

Our current treatment projects Our completed treatment projects