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Friends of

£70,000 Proton Beam Therapy project to treat sarcomas in children

Friends of Rosie has awarded a grant of £70,000 to kickstart promising new research into the use of Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) to treat sarcomas in children.

The project is being led by researchers at The University of Manchester, with support from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. It is investigating the biology of protons used in PBT to treat sarcomas in children. The project is due to start in Autumn/Winter 2020.

Felicity Goodey, Chair of Friends of Rosie, says, “While attention is rightly focused on COVID-19 research at present, we must ensure that vital research into childhood cancer continues for the future. The project we are funding is a world-first study into the effectiveness of proton beam therapy on one of the commonest forms of childhood cancers, paediatric sarcoma. The project will also enable the first steps to identify new treatment combinations, which may ultimately make Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) more effective and kinder to children with sarcoma.

“We are very fortunate to have the first Proton Therapy facility in the UK at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, a long-term research partner of Friends of Rosie. The new centre includes a research room so that the proton beam can be used, not only to deliver lifesaving treatment, but also to carry out ground-breaking research.”

The project

Amy Chadwick The Christie

Dr Amy Chadwick from The University of Manchester and Professor Karen Kirkby from The University of Manchester and The Christie will lead this project. Dr Chadwick gives more detail of the project as follows:

“Sarcomas are cancers that can develop in bone and soft tissues anywhere in the body. Due to their rarity, diversity, and treatment complexity, sarcomas in children require careful, individualised treatment. 

“Many paediatric patients benefit from radiotherapy as part of their treatment for sarcoma. The most common type of radiotherapy uses X-rays. Although this type of radiation is highly effective, it can cause collateral damage to the healthy tissue that surrounds the tumour, which can result in serious side effects. The developing tissues in children are particularly sensitive.

Proton Beam Therapy

 “To reduce the damage to healthy tissues, whilst still eradicating the tumour, PBT, an advanced type of radiotherapy can be used. A high energy beam of protons is used to precisely target the tumour while minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissue.  This makes PBT the preferred radiation treatment for paediatric sarcomas. But there is still a lot to learn about how PBT affects both tumour cells and those of normal tissues. This funding from Friends of Rosie will allow us to undertake the first and most comprehensive study of PBT in paediatric sarcoma cells using the dedicated research room at The Christie.

Continues Dr Chadwick, “As part of this study we will focus on the oxygen level of tumours. As a tumour grows, it can outstrip its blood supply, leaving some regions of a tumour with significantly lower levels of oxygen. This “tumour hypoxia” causes resistance to radiotherapy, as well as making tumours more aggressive with the potential to metastasise. Our study will mimic the low oxygen environment of tumours during irradiation with PBT so that we can understand how cells in the most resistant parts of a tumour respond to protons. During this study we will perform high throughput drug screening using sarcoma cells to identify potential treatments that may enhance the effectiveness of PBT and overcome the resistance caused by low oxygen levels. The Friends of Rosie funding will allow the first steps in identifying new treatment combinations, which may ultimately make PBT more effective and kinder to children with sarcoma.”

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Nancy Dykes

Nancy Dykes

Nancy, 11, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when she was just 2 years old. She was treated with Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) in Germany but unfortunately relapsed less than a year later. The family were then sent to Germany for a second round of PBT. Although treatment helped to cure Nancy’s cancer, she has been left with lots of lasting effects which will require ongoing treatment throughout her life. Here Nancy and her mum, Antonia, share their story in the hope it will help others, raise awareness, and raise more money for children’s cancer research.

Watch Story
Prof John Hickman

Prof John Hickman

Why I am a Trustee of CCRF
 
I am a relative of the Larkin family and knew Rosie Larkin ( Friends of Rosie, now CCRF) when she had and then died of neuroblastoma, aged six. At that time, I was a scientist and professor at Manchester University, actively working on the problem of why some cancers do not die despite intensive and toxic therapies.  Seeing Rosie during her unsuccessful therapy and then attending her funeral, besides being emotional, drove me to double down on my own research as well as to support the Charity as best I could as a cancer researcher. I spent over a decade as the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the CCRF, when the Board moulded policies to ensure that funds raised for research into childhood cancers were distributed only to clinicians and researchers who had the brightest ideas that could impact of cancer medicine for children.
 
My role on the Board
 
As a Trustee,  I hope that my many decades of experience in cancer research and medicine can help the CCRF determine where best the funds that are raised can be invested in cutting edge research and medicine. I am also keen that the CCRF brings together UK and international experts in science and cancer medicine to brainstorm on how best to advance the treatment of childhood cancers.
 
My Background
 
I was a Professor of Pharmacology at Manchester University, working on drug resistance in cancer. I then moved to Paris, where I still live, to head cancer drug discovery at a French pharmaceutical company (Servier). I then headed an EU consortium for six years that brought together researchers from the pharmaceutical industry, universities and biotechnology companies, from all over Europe and the UK, to improve cancer drug discovery. I continue to be active in cancer health policy, publishing in the medical literature.
Katrina

Katrina London

Why I am a Trustee of CCRF

I have spent my professional career representing individuals and families affected by the devastating asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, which has no cure and for which there are only a limited number of palliative treatments available on the NHS.

I joined CCRF because I wanted to bring my understanding of the need to raise awareness of less well known cancers and passion for the need to secure improved funding for research to children facing a cancer diagnosis.

My role on the Board

I am responsible for oversight of our collaboration agreements with other charities to co-fund research into cures and treatments for childhood cancers. I also manage our challenge events and help with community fundraising. 

My Background

I am a Senior Associate at Irwin Mitchell LLP and specialise in Asbestos Disease Litigation, acting on behalf of victims of asbestos related diseases and their families.  Over the years, I have undertaken a number of fundraising challenges to raise money for cancer research, including a 1000 mile cycle ride from Glasgow to Southampton.   

Carla

Carla Nuttall

Why I’m a Trustee of CCRF
 
I became a trustee of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund because I believe every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy and with everything to look forward to in life. Like many people, I’ve seen the impact cancer can have on families and I wanted to do something that could make a real difference. This started through my work as an ambassador for Cyclists Fighting Cancer, which supported young people and their families in finding strength, confidence, and joy through movement.
 
That experience shaped my understanding of the challenges families face and the importance of community-led support – but crucially, the clear need for that to go hand-in-hand with targeted research and long-term solutions.
 
This is why I’m so passionate about the work CCRF does and proud to contribute to a cause that gives children and their families, the greatest chance of living a life without limits.
 
My Role on the Board
 
I support CCRF’s mission by bringing my experience in brand, marketing, and communications to the board. My focus is on helping CCRF tell its story in a way that resonates with people – whether that’s families, researchers, donors, or the wider public. I work alongside an incredible team to strengthen CCRF’s voice, build trust, and grow awareness so that more children and families can benefit from the breakthroughs we’re helping to fund.
 
My Background
 
I’m the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs and Marketing for The Growth Company, a social enterprise dedicated to helping people, businesses, and places to thrive through its market-leading insight, employment, skills and business support.
My passion is to help the organisations I work with to communicate with clarity, purpose, and integrity. That’s why I’ve spent my career in strategic communications supporting organisations that want to make a positive difference – CCRF could not fit my sense of purpose any better.