An interdisciplinary, global team of scientists, led by Dr. Yael Mossé, MD, Professor of Pediatrics in the Cancer Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), has been awarded a multimillion-dollar grant from Cancer Grand Challenges to conduct groundbreaking research in childhood cancer. The team, known as Team KOODAC3, will receive up to $25 million to develop transformative new therapies for previously undruggable forms of childhood cancer.

Last year, 176 global teams submitted bold ideas for tackling pressing challenges in cancer research and care. After a rigorous selection process, Team KOODAC3 emerged as one of five teams to receive funding. The team unites researchers from the United States, Austria, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to address the challenge of oncogene-addicted solid tumors in children.

While survival rates for many childhood cancers have improved through standard chemotherapy and radiation therapy, survivors often face life-threatening toxicities related to those treatments. Genetic discoveries have transformed how many tumors are treated, as cancer is caused by genetic mutations that transform normal genes into oncogenes, which are then translated into oncoproteins. Several drugs have been developed to target oncogenes and their associated oncoproteins, but targeting proteins responsible for causing solid tumors related to childhood cancers has been a critical challenge.

Team KOODAC3 aims to develop drugs that break down or ‘degrade’ five of the most significant oncoproteins in children with high-risk oncogene-driven cancers, including neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, Ewing sarcoma, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, and rhabdoid tumors. The project, titled ‘Developing a suite of oncoprotein degraders for childhood solid cancers,’ holds promise for potentially developing new therapies for undruggable solid tumors.

Dr. Yael Mossé and her international team’s receipt of the multimillion-dollar grant signifies a significant advancement in childhood cancer research, offering hope for improved treatment outcomes and quality of life for young patients.