NGTC
(Next Generation T cell therapies for childhood cancers)
The Challenge
Solid Tumours in Children
Developing next generation T cell therapies for children with solid tumours
Team Leads
Martin Pule University College London, UK Catherine Bollard George Washington University Children’s National Hospital, US
Countries involved
UK, US, France
The Idea
To develop effective, kinder treatments for children with solid tumours, we must explore new therapeutic approaches. The NGTC team’s vision is to bring engineered T cell therapies to the routine treatment of these children, within a decade.
Through a series of ambitious studies, the team hopes to identify suitable, paediatric tumour-specific targets for engineered T cells (including previously unexplored options like glycolipids or the immunopeptidome). They also hope to explore whether treatment effectiveness can be boosted by modulating the tumour microenvironment – which can inhibit T cell therapies but is yet to be suitably studied in children’s cancers. The team has a strong translational focus and the most promising new treatment avenues would be explored in preclinical and early clinical studies.
Uniting leaders in target identification and the microenvironment with rising stars in the field of modelling and clinical translation, the NGTC team’s novel approach could drive an important leap forward in treating children with solid tumours.
“We’re tremendously excited to have this opportunity to work together and strive closer to our vision – to improve the lives of the patients we serve.”
