Funding to accelerate next-gen precision medicine for childhood cancer
Imagine a world where every child with cancer receives treatments designed specifically for their cancer type and unique genetic makeup—this is the promise of precision medicine.
Recognising the urgent need to accelerate precision medicine research, the Hudson Institute of Medical Research has been awarded a total of nearly $3 million to rapidly enhance and expand the Next-Generation Precision Medicine Program.
As part of Children Cancer CoLab's (formerly Victorian Paediatric Cancer Consortium) initial program of work, $1.34m was granted in 2024 to support the profiling of 20 new paediatric cancer cell lines using techniques that integrate gene, protein, metabolite, and other data to uncover each tumour's unique characteristics.
Further funding of $1.64m from the Children’s Cancer CoLab Next-Generation Therapies Impact Program will support the comprehensive profiling of 50 new paediatric cancer cell lines. Advanced computational algorithms and artificial intelligence will also enhance drug response predictions and help identify promising new drug candidates for childhood cancers with low survival rates.
Professor Ron Firestein, Deputy Director and Head of the Centre for Cancer Research at the Hudson Institute, said the Children’s Cancer CoLab’s investment would empower the team to accelerate discoveries in next-generation, personalised therapies for children with the most challenging cancers.
"By testing how an individual child’s cancer responds to treatments using fully characterised tumour profiles, we can fast-track therapies to improve survival. With this funding, we’ll use AI tools to identify new treatments matched to predictive biomarkers, advancing clinical trials for more effective, personalised approaches.”
Two Hudson Institute researchers working on this project will receive Future Leaders Fellowships. These fellowships aim to strengthen Australia’s childhood cancer workforce to drive discoveries and clinical advancements.
Dr Udani Reets, CEO of the Children’s Cancer CoLab, said the Hudson Institute’s precision medicine project met two of the charity’s strategic impact goals.
"New therapies are urgently needed for children with high-risk cancers such as neuroblastoma, aggressive brain tumours, and recurrent metastatic cancers, and it's essential to support the brilliant researchers capable of making these discoveries. By committing almost $3 million to this project, we are accelerating research for childhood cancers with the lowest survival rates and contributing to the critical mass of expertise required to tackle the challenges of childhood cancer.”
One expected outcome of the project is the enhancement of one of the world's largest open-source repositories, the Childhood Cancer Model Atlas (CCMA). The Atlas enables researchers and clinicians worldwide to access comprehensive profiling data and analytical tools to advance discoveries in childhood cancers.
Since its establishment, the CCMA has continued to grow with support from government and charity funders, including the Children’s Cancer CoLab’s founding partner, the Children’s Cancer Foundation. The Children’s Cancer CoLab’s former incarnation - the Victorian Paediatric Cancer Consortium - also supported the Atlas.
To date, the CCMA has achieved:
- 7,000 vial collections
- 500 childhood cancer cell line profiles
- 10,000 users, including paediatric oncologists and childhood cancer researchers
- 44 countries accessing the CCMA
- 50 collaborating hospitals worldwide
Margaret Fitzherbert, CEO of the Children’s Cancer Foundation, said the Foundation had provided long-standing support for the Atlas.
“We’re proud that the Atlas is a resource for researchers around the world, and a tool to create new treatments that align to the individual. Identifying new therapies for children is one of the Foundation’s big goals. We look forward to the breakthroughs this funding will support.”
This project was thoroughly assessed by the Children’s Cancer CoLab’s Discovery and Translational Research Scientific Advisory Committee.
Our Impact Program grants are supported by the Victorian Government’s investment of $35 million and the Children’s Cancer Foundation’s commitment of $10 million to the Children’s Cancer CoLab.
The Children’s Cancer Foundation is committed to raising $10 million over the next five years to fund the critical work of Children’s Cancer CoLab. Learn more about our joint vision to ensure children with cancer survive and thrive here.
Read more about the Next Generation Paediatric Cancer Therapies Program here.
Children’s Cancer CoLab Funding Information
Grant/s Awarded (Total): $2,974,147
- Part 1 funding: $1,340,000 from July 2024 to February 2025
- CCCoLab Next-Generation Therapies funding: $1,634,146 from March 2025 to February 2026
Impact Programs: Next-Generation Therapies and Future Leaders
Scientific Review: Discovery and Translational Research Scientific Advisory Committee
Lead Institution: Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Lead Researcher: Prof Ron Firestein
Associated Future Leaders: Dr Yichen Zhou and Dr Hanbyeol Lee
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Your support drives critical research and innovation that will change lives. By supporting Children's Cancer CoLab, you become part of a community working to ensure every young patient with cancer survives and thrives. Our approach unites top researchers across disciplines and institutions, breaking traditional barriers to accelerate discoveries from the lab to clinic, creating real impact for young cancer patients and their families.
