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Friends of

Our latest research project is underway

Covid won’t stop us in our fight for children with cancer! We’re delighted that our newest childhood cancer research project has now started, following some delays due to Covid restrictions. We caught up with the research team at The University of Manchester to find out more about them and their priorities for the first few months of the project.

The project is looking into ways to decrease the risk of facial disfiguration in children with cancers in the head and neck. As children’s bones and tissues are still growing, current treatments for facial cancers in children can lead to disfiguration and a future of painful surgeries to correct the effects caused by the treatment. This pioneering new study looks to reduce those side effects to provide children with a better quality of life after treatment.

The research team is made up of Dr Marianne Aznar, Abigail Bryce-Atkinson, and Dr Rebecca Holley.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what attracted you to childhood cancer research?

childhood cancer research

Marianne: “Having previously worked as a clinical radiotherapy physicist (healthcare scientist), I worked directly with cancer patients and saw first-hand the devasting effects of the disease on families.

“I was particularly interested in the late effects of radiotherapy. And so I worked in that field of research for around 15 years, predominantly with teenagers and young adults. I then brought my late effects experience to childhood cancer research in Manchester.”

Abby

Abigail: “I’ve just finished my PHD on paediatric radiotherapy and had a particular interest in the effects of cancer and treatment on children. When children are treated with radiation, it affects their young, growing bodies in different ways than in adult bodies.

It’s really important to me that more research takes place to better understand the effects of treatment on children and to build the case for better and kinder therapies.”

Rebecca Holley

Rebecca: “I’m the Project Manager for this project. It’s my role to liaise with Marianne, Abigail, Friends of Rosie, and the wider university teams to ensure the project is on track in terms of objectives, budget, and reporting. Working with charities, such as Friends of Rosie, we appreciate how important it is to demonstrate that donations and funds are being spent in the best possible way.

“I have a biological background and have worked in other childhood diseases, particularly on gene therapy projects and trials. There is a lot of administration and permissions required in any medical research project, particularly with regards to children. So that’s why it’s important to have good project governance for every research project.”

What will you be working on over the next three months?

Marianne: “Covid has caused lots of issues with regards to access to the labs and working restrictions for many researchers. However, we’re quite fortunate in our team in that our project doesn’t need to take place in a lab. We can remotely access the data we need for our research.

“We’ll start by looking at images and scans of healthy children to compare to scans of children who have had face or neck cancers. Our focus is on a type of soft tissue tumour called, rhabdomyosarcoma.

“Up to 75% of children treated for head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma will experience some degree of facial underdevelopment as they grow. This can result in significant facial disfiguration, which can dramatically affect their quality of life.

“Our initial focus will be on developing a new method to measure facial disfiguration in children with cancers in the head and neck. We hope to then use this new method to better understand the effects of radiation on the growing skeleton of a child.

“Ultimately, thanks to Friends of Rosie and their supporters, we hope to enable “smarter” radiation treatments, leading to a decreased risk of disfigurement in the future.”

Are you collaborating with any other teams on this project?

Marianne: “We will be working closely with Dr Gillian Whitfield, who is Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Clinical Oncology lead for paediatric CNS tumours here at the Christie. Additionally, Dr Eliana Vasquez Osorio, an expert Computer Scientist within our research group, on some of the techniques we will be using in this project.

We are working with Emma Foster-Thomas in the School of Dentistry at The University of Manchester to better understand the effects of radiation on growing teeth.  In fact, this is the first ever research project developing specific methodology to look at the interaction between radiation and dentistry.

“We have also met virtually with Dr Indelicato in Florida. Dr Indelicato is an established cancer researcher; whose research focuses on decreasing the acute and late side effects of radiation in children and young adults. We are discussing potential future research collaborations in this area.”

We’ll be following Marianne, Abigail, and Rebecca over the coming year as their research progresses.  We look forward to sharing with you the impact of your vital donations to Friends of Rosie and the difference you are making to children with cancer.

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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.