Clinical Innovation Programs
In the VPCC, our Clinical Innovation Programs work towards our goal of making real-life impact for children with cancer in Victoria and around the world.
We have three areas of focus:
Pharmacogenomics and radiogenomics
The life-saving treatments that we apply to cancer patients, including chemotherapy and radiation, can have serious impacts on children’s health, wellbeing and development during and after active cancer treatment. The focus in this research program is how to identify the individual genetic risks of each child to the toxicities of cancer treatments in order to provide better information to doctors when they’re devising treatment plans.
There can be significant challenges for children and families after active treatment for cancer has finished. Right now, the information to keep track of children and families is handled manually, which can mean that the opportunity to link them with the supports and services they need is lost. This program will expand and automate this process to fortify and improve the system of care for children and families after cancer treatment.
Sarcomas are one of the most common types of solid tumour cancer experienced by children and adolescents. Sadly, survival rates for young people affected by sarcomas haven’t improved for more than 40 years. For three in 10 children diagnosed with a sarcoma, there is no effective treatment at all. This program will determine molecular signatures that can predict response to therapy, chances of metastasis and survival outcomes to ultimately improve survival rates and minimise side effects of treatment.