Research Paediatric Cancer

Paediatric Cancer Treatment

Research Program

Paediatric Cancer

Leaders

Where we are

SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital

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Paediatric cancer affects over 1000 children in Spain each year, 80% of whom survive more than 5 years after treatment. There are, however, still some paediatric cancers that are incurable.

Our work focuses on experimentally addressing this urgent clinical need in patients with the worst prognosis. We carry out laboratory (preclinical) projects based on small tumour samples (biopsies) from these patients which we use to create laboratory models that are then used in experimental studies for new treatments. These new treatments are developed by our research group and/or our collaborators.

Thanks to these preclinical research projects, we are currently conducting phase 1 clinical trials in the paediatric population with retinal and brain cancer.

Our research on retinoblastoma (retinal cancer) virotherapy is well known and is already being applied in children with promising results. We were extremely excited to receive the Schweisguth Prize from SIOP (Société Internationale d'Oncologie Pédiatrique) and the Vanguàrdia Science Award for this work.

Our scientific output is diverse. The results of our studies have been published in various prestigious journals in the fields of translational medicine, pharmaceutical sciences and bioengineering (e.g., Science Translational Medicine, Biomaterials, Journal of Controlled Release, Advanced Healthcare Materials) and we have participated in publications in the most prestigious scientific sources (Science, Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Genetics, Cancer Cell, JEM, Nature Communications, Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research).

The main objectives of our research programme are:

1. To establish a platform for preclinical paediatric solid tumour models.

2. To conduct preclinical translational research on the efficacy of new therapeutic candidates.

3. To develop new drug delivery systems tailored to our patients.

4. To characterise how medicines are distributed in the body in order to fully understand their therapeutic effect

Research lines

  1. Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and cerebral gliomatosis: pharmacological therapy and immunotherapy.
  2. Retinoblastoma: advanced therapy with oncolytic adenoviruses.
  3. Extracranial solid tumours: selective therapies with new drug delivery systems.
  4. Solid tumours with poor prognosis in relapse: precision therapies.
  5. Blood-brain barrier: possible pharmacological strategies to cross it.

Scientific objectives

  1. To develop pharmacological treatments for DIPG, cerebral gliomatosis and other paediatric brain tumours with poor prognosis.
  2. To develop drug delivery systems in paediatric oncology, with a better profile of tumour selectivity, greater efficacy and lower toxicity.
  3. To develop innovative pharmacological treatments for extracranial solid paediatric tumours such as Ewing's sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma and neuroblastoma.
  4. To develop treatments for retinoblastoma based on the combination of oncolytic adenoviruses and chemotherapy.
  5. To develop immunotherapy treatments for DIPG and other brain tumours.

Area/Field of expertise

We have expertise in the following areas:

  1. Development of cell models and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) of paediatric solid tumours (retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma, DIPG, high-grade gliomas, medulloblastoma, AT-RT, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, osteosarcoma, Wilms' tumour, germ cell tumours, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours) from biobank samples.
  2. Efficacy tests of anticancer agents used to treat paediatric solid tumours.
  3. Pharmacokinetic assays of anticancer agents in the central nervous system and in paediatric solid tumours.
  4. Biological sampling by microdialysis and analysis by high-resolution liquid chromatography (HPLC).
  5. Development of biopolymer drug delivery systems for paediatric solid tumours.

Group members

Last Publications

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Projects

Project name:
GLIOMATCH_The malignant Glioma immuno-oncology matchmaker: towards data-driven precision medicine using spatially resolved radio-multiomics
Leader
Andrés Morales La Madrid
Funding entities:
Lavarino, Cinzia Emilia, European Commission, Fundació Privada per a la Recerca i la Docència Sant Joan de Déu - FSJD
Code
101136670
Starting - finishing date:
2024 - 2028
Project name:
Ensayo clínico de seguridad y factibilidad de inmunoterapia celular: Células dendríticas autólogas pulsadas con un lisado de líneas tumorales alogénicas, asociadas con CART anti-IL13Ra2 en pacientes con tumor difuso intrínseco de tronco (DIPG) (fase Ib)
Leader
Andrés Morales La Madrid
Funding entities:
Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Code
ICI23/00063
Starting - finishing date:
2024 - 2027
Project name:
Formación de doctores del programa nacional de formación de profesorado universitario 2022. Beneficiari: Núria Martínez
Leader
Angel Montero Carcaboso
Funding entities:
Ministerio De Universidades
Code
FPU22/00395
Starting - finishing date:
2023 - 2027
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Theses

  • Development of a brain-penetrant formulation of SN-38 using shuttle peptides for the treatment of pediatric high-grade gliomas
    Author
    Resa Parés, Clàudia
    Institution
    UNIVERSIDAD DE BARCELONA
    25/04/2025
  • Tumor secretome-mediated pro-tumoral microenvironment in diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma
    Author
    Baulenas Farrés, Mercè
    Institution
    UNIVERSIDAD DE BARCELONA
    05/12/2024
  • Inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway as a therapeutic strategy for pediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas
    Author
    Balaguer Lluna, Leire
    Institution
    UNIVERSIDAD DE BARCELONA
    29/11/2024
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