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Approved Projects 2025

VIVO Biobank is proud to support groundbreaking childhood cancer research. Here are the projects we supported in 2025.

Leukaemia stem cell and biomarker study in children with acute myeloid leukaemia treated on Myechild 01

1) What is this research about? 

This research is focused on understanding a special group of cancer cells called leukaemia stem cells in children with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). These cells act like "roots" of the disease, even when most of the cancer is destroyed by chemotherapy, the roots can stay hidden and grow again, causing the cancer to return. The study aims to identify these stem cells in different types of childhood AML and find new ways to remove them completely. 

2) Why is it important? 

Childhood AML is a very aggressive blood cancer, and even with strong treatment, some children relapse because current therapies do not fully eliminate the leukaemia stem cells. These cells are particularly tough and resistant to chemotherapy. By learning exactly what these cells look like, how they behave, and what makes them different from healthy cells, researchers hope to design treatments that target the disease at its source and reduce the chances of relapse. 

3) What are the researchers doing? 

The researcher team will study samples from children taking part in the interntional Myechild 01 clinical trial. Using advanced technologies that can study thousands of cells one by one, they will look at both of the outer features (proteins) and the internal workings (genes) of these leukaemia stem cells. A key focus is on a marker called CD180, which appears to be found on the surface of these stem cells but not on healthy ones. The researchers will also test new therapies, including immunotherapies and drug-linked antibodies, that specifically target CD180 to see if they can effectively destroy these harmful cells. 

4) How could this help patients in the future? 

By learning how to find and eliminate leukaemia stem cells, this project could lead to treatements that are both more effective and less harsh for children. Targeting CD180 could enable new, personalised therapies that stop AML from returning and improving long-term survival. Ultimately, the study aims to help children not only beat AML but stay free of it, offering a stronger foundation for lasting health.   

Nonomedicine stratification to decrease the toxicity of anticancer treatement in children

1) What is this research about? 

This research is exploring whether anticancer drugs can be delivered in a safer and more targeted way using nanomedicines, tiny particles designed to carry drugs directly to tumours. These treatments take advantage of a feature seen in many cancers, where the blood vessels around tumours are more "leaky" than normal. This leakiness allows nanomedicines to enter and build up inside the tumour more easily. The goal of this study is to understand how this process works in children and young adults, and to find out which patients are most likely to benefit from nanomedicine-based treatments. 

2) Why is it important? 

Many cancer treatments cause serious side effects that can affect children for the rest of their lives. Nanomedicines could make treatment more gentle by targeting cancer cells more precisely and sparing healthy tissues. However, because most nanomedicines research has been done in adults, we dont yet know how well these treatments behave in children, whose tumours and blood vessels may be different. By identifying biological markers that predict how nanomedicines work in young patients, doctors could tailor treatments to each individual child. 

3) What are the researchers doing? 

Researchers are studying blood samples from children and young adults with cancer to measure biomarkers, substances in the blood linked to how tumour blood vessels behave. At the same time, they are building a laboratory model that mimics the movement of nanomedicines through tumour-like blood vessels. Together, these studies will help reveal how nanomedicines act in different types of childhood cancers and which patients are most likely to benefit from them. 

4) How could this help patients in the future? 

This research could lead to a simple blood test that helps doctors decide whether nanomedicine-based treatments are suitable for a specific child. That would allow more targeted, effective, and less toxic treatments, improving recovery and quality of life for children and young people living with cancer. 

Using Imatinib to improve treatment for children with ABL-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia 

1) What is this research about? 

This study focuses on a particular subtype of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. In this form of ALL, a change in the DNA caused two genes to join together (a "fusion"), creating a signal that tells the cancer cells to keep growing. This signal is controlled by a protein called an ABL-class kinase. The study is testing whether adding a targeted drug called imatinib, which blocks this signal, can improve treatment for these children. 

2) Why is it important? 

Children with this subtype of ALL often don't respond well to standard chemotherapy and have needed very intensive treatment, which can cause long-term side effects. Targeted therapies like imatinib act directly on the cancer-driving protein, which may allow doctors to use lower doses of chemotherapy while still keeping the treatment effective. This could make therapy both safer and more successful. 

3) What are the researchers doing? 

Researchers will study blood and bone marrow samples from children treated with imatinib as part of their standard care. They will look at how well each child's leukaemia responds during the first few months of treatment, using genetic tests to understand why some respond better than others. In the laboratory, they will also test how leukaemia cells react to different drugs that target the same protein. 

4) How could this help patients in the future? 

This research could help tailor treatments for children with this high-risk type of ALL, showing who benefits most from drugs like imatinib and why. The long-term aim is to improve survival while reducing the harsh side effects of chemotherapy, helping children not only beat cancer but also enjoy a better quality of life after treatment. 

Understanding why Immunotherapy works differently in children with leukaemia

1) What is this research about? 

This study is exploring why a treatment called blinatumomab, a type of immunotherapy used for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia           (B-ALL), works very well for some children and young adults but not for others. Researchers want to discover biological markers or "biomarkers", that can show early on who is likely to respond to this treatment and who may need additional therapies. 

2) Why is it important?  

Blinatumomab had helped many young people with leukaemia achieve long-term remission, but some patients still have disease that persists or returns. Understanding why this happens could help doctors tailor treatments to each individual, improving cure rates while reducing unnecessary side effects. This knowledge will also refine how blinatumomab is used in future clinical trials. 

3) What are the researchers doing? 

Researchers are analysing information from children and young adults treated with blinatumomab across the UK as apart of their regular NHS care. This includes linking genetic test results, treatments details, and measurable residual disease (MRD) results, a highly sensitive way of detecting any remaining cancer cells, with patient outcomes. As all data and samples have already been collected, no changes will be made to standard treatment. 

4) How could this help patients in the future? 

By finding the biomarkers that predict whether blinatumomab will work, this research could allow doctors to personalise therapy, giving each child the treatment most likely to succeed. This could lead to more effective care, fewer side effects and better long-term outcomes for children and young adults with leukaemia. 

Finding safer and kinder therapies for blood cancers 

1) What is this research about? 

This research aims to create safer and more effective treatments for clood cancers such as leukaemia and multiple myeloma. Researchers are developing "mini bone marrow" in the lab using human stem cells to recreate the environment where these cancers grow. By studying how cancer cells interact with their surroundings in the bone marrow, researchers hope to understand why treatments sometimes fail and how to stop cancer from coming back. 

2) Why is it important? 

Leukaemia is the most common cancer in children. While current treatments can be successful, they are often harsh and can cause serious long-term side effects. Sadly, some patients relapse when their cancer becomes resistant to treatment. A major reason for treatment failure is that leukaemia cells are protected by their surrounding bone marrow environment. Existing research models, often using mice, do not fully reflect what happens in the human body, meaning many promising treatments treatments fail before they ever reach patients. This project solves that problem by using human-based models, helping to speed up the discovery of therapies that work in real patients. 

3) What are the researchers doing? 

Researchers have developed a new laboratory platform that mimics the human bone marrow using human stem cells and advanced 3D bioprinting technologies. They will use this model to grow patient-derived leukaemia cells and observe how they survive, communicate and resist treatment. They will then test new drugs and treatment combinations to see which ones are most effective at stopping cancer cells, while being kinder to healthy cells. This approach removes the need for animal testing and allows scientists to conduct large-scale drug screening more accurately. 

4) How could this help patients in the future? 

This research could lead to treatments that are more targeted, less toxic, and more successful at curing blood cancers without causing lifelong side effects. By using models that closely represent real patients, researchers can identify the most effective therapies faster and with greater accuracy. Ultimately, this work could help prevent relapse. improve survival rates, and give children and adults with blood cancer a much better quality of life. 

Characterising and targeting amino acid dependencies of leukaemia cells in the bone marrow 

1) What is this research about? 

This research is focused on understanding how leukaemia cells survive inside the bone marrow by using nutrients, particularly amino acids, as fuel. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and leukaemia cells may rely on certain amino acids to protect themselves from treatment. By studying these metabolic "weak spots," researchers hope to discover new ways to stop treatment-resistant cancer cells from surviving and causing relapse. 

2) Why is it important?

Although treatments for leukaemia have improved, many patients still experience relapse because a small number of cancer cells survive inside the bone marrow. These cells are often resistant to both chemotherapy and newer targeted therapies. One reason they survive is that they use specific amino acids to protect themselves from treatment damage. Currently, the models used in research do not accurately reflect the bone marrow environment in patients, meaning new drugs often fail when tested on real patients. This project will recreate a realistic bone marrow environment in the lab to identify and target the nutritional dependencies of leukaemia cells, leading to treatements that are more precise and less toxic. 

3) What are the researchers doing? 

Researchers will compare nutrient levels, especially amino acids, in the blood and bone marrow of healthy people and those in leukaemia. They will create a 3D laboratory model that closely copies the bone marrow environment by using real patient cells and specifically designed gels and fluids that mimic the body. Using these models, they will test how leukaemia cells respond when certain amino acids are removed or blocked, and they will investigate new treatment combinations that make cancer cells more vulnerable. 

4) How could this help patients in the future? 

By identifying which amino acids leukaemia cells depend on to survive, scientists can develop new therapies that "cut off the fuel supply" to resistant cancer cells. This could make existing treatments more effective, reduce the chances of relapse, and lower the need for harsh chemotherapy. Ultimately, this research aims to deliver more personalised and kinder treatments that improve survival rates and quality of life for patients with leukaemia. 

A HR-NBL2 assoicated biological study to link gentic studies performed at diagnosis and relapse with serial circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) profiling 

1) What is this research about? 

This research is focused on high-risk neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer that often spreads and is difficult to treat. The study aims to understand how the cancer changes over time by analysing genetic information from both tumour samples and tiny fragments of tumour DNA found in the blood, known as circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). By studying these changes at diagnosis, during treatment, and at relapse, researchers hope to identify which genetic features are linked to treatment success or resistance. 

2) Why is it important? 

Currently, all children with high-risk neuroblastoma recieve very intensive treatments, but not all patients respond in the same way. Some children relapse or become resistant to therapy, and doctors currently have limited tools to predict who will respond well. Understanding the gentic changes that drive treatment resistance could allow doctors to tailor therapies to each child, improve survival rates, and reduce unnecessary side effects from ineffective treatments.

3) what are the researchers doing? 

Researchers will analyse tumour tissue collected at diagnosis and at relapse, alongside multiple blood samples collected during treatment from 400 children taking part in an international clinical trial (HR-NBL2). Using advanced sequencing technologies, they will track genetic changes in the cancer by studying ctDNA in the blood. This approach allows them to detect aggressive cancer cells that may not be captured in a traditional tumour biopsy. They will also study how the cancer keeps growing by investigating telomere maintenance mechanisms, features that cancer cells use to become "immortal."

4) How could this help patients in the future? 

This research could lead to significant breakthroughs in how high-risk neuroblastoma is treated. By identifying the gentic markers linked to treatment resistance, doctors may be able to predict which therapies are most likely to work for each patient. This could enable more personalised, effective treatement plans, earlier detection of relapse, and new targeted therapies. Ultimately, the goal is to increase survival rates and improve the quality of life for children with high-risk neuroblastoma.    

Understanding why some children with B-cell Acute lymphoblastic leukaeima do no respond to Blinatumomab

1) What is this research about? 

This study investigates why some children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) do not respond fully to Blinatumomab, an immunotherapy that helps the immune system target cancer cells. Although Blinatumomab has improved outcomes for many patients, some still relapse or fail to respond. Researchers aim to uncover the biological reasons for this resistance.

2) Why is it important? 

Blinatumomab is increasingly used to treat childhood B-ALL because it is more targeted and less toxic than traditional chemotherapy. However, without understanding why some children resist treatment, they may continue recieving therapies that don't work. Identifying markers of resistance will help doctors choose the most effective treatments for each child, improving survival and personalising care. 

3) What are the researchers doing? 

Researchers will compare leukaemia and immune cells from children who respond well to Blinatumomab with those from children whose disease returns or resists treatment. Using advanced tools such as flow cytometry and single-cell sequencing, they will examine surface proteins and genetic changes to identify features linked to resistance. 

4) How could this help patients in the future?

Findings could help predict early which children are unlikely to benefit from Blinatumomab, allowing doctors to offer better treatment options sooner. This research may guide new strategies to overcome resistance and ensure each child recieves the therapy best matched to their cancer biology.