Funding to find the most appropriate drugs to improve patient outcomes

A researcher supported by The Little Princess Trust has received new funding from the Bone Cancer Research Trust, enabling scientists to take their research to the next level in the fight against bone cancer.

Dr Paul Huang, team leader at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, will receive a grant to analyse patient samples to see if they can identify patients who are likely to benefit from two anti-cancer drugs, regorafenib and levatinib.

This will complement funding that Dr Huang has received from The Little Princess Trust, with which he is aiming to optimise therapy for Ewing sarcoma patients on the INTEREWING-1 clinical trial whose cancer has spread elsewhere in the body.

This means that, thanks to funding from both national charities, the Huang laboratory is now able to review samples from patients recruited onto two international clinical trials for Ewing sarcoma.

Through his research, Dr Huang aims to discover biomarkers that clinicians can use to spot patients who are at higher risk of developing disease with poor outcomes.

 

 

He then plans to assess whether these markers can be used to predict a patient’s response to the targeted chemotherapy drugs lenvatinib and regorafenib, both of which are being tested in the upcoming trials.

Ultimately, the long-term hope of research in this area is to provide tools that allow doctors to personalise therapy and ensure that regorafenib and levatinib are used effectively to improve outcomes for Ewing sarcoma patients,

Continued funding is vital as it fuels breakthroughs, drives clinical trials, and accelerates the development of promising treatments.

Dr Zoe Davison, Head of Research, Information and Support at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, said: “The Bone Cancer Research Trust and The Little Princess Trust share the same aim of developing kinder and more effective treatments to improve outcomes for future Ewing sarcoma patients.

“This will only be achieved through the development of desperately needed personalised treatments via clinical trials, and this is why we're delighted to award complementary funding to Paul Huang at the Institute of Cancer Research.”

Phil Brace, CEO of The Little Princess Trust, added: “It is fantastic to hear that Paul has received further funding from the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

“Cancer research is a multi-stage process, and progress is only possible through the continued support of funders like The Little Princess Trust and the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

“Continued funding in cancer research is vital as it fuels breakthroughs, drives clinical trials, and accelerates the development of promising treatments.

“We hope that Paul's projects will help Ewing sarcoma patients get the treatment they need sooner, ultimately saving more young lives.”