University gets grant to fight childhood cancer

The University of Surrey has been awarded £250,000 to combat an aggressive form of childhood cancer.

The grant will fund research into paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), which the institution said has "tragically low survival rates".

Researchers will be looking into therapeutic interventions for children diagnosed with the disease as the current treatments "still lead to unacceptable long-term side effects and early mortality," said Dr Lisie Meira.

The lecturer in DNA damage and ageing at the University of Surrey added: "We need to find safer, more effective alternatives."

Dr Meira said researchers are working to understand how inhibiting the SET gene can stop the growth of leukemic cells and test new, non-immunosuppressive drugs.

"We've already made promising discoveries," added Dr Maria Teresa Esposito, senior lecturer in biochemistry, who is spearheading the project along with Dr Meira.

Some forms of AML present an "especially grim prognosis", with only 20 to 50% of infants and children surviving five years after diagnosis, according to the University of Surrey.

Though initial responses to chemo can be positive, relapse rates are "alarmingly high" at 47 to 100%, it added.

The grant is a joint initiative by the CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association and the Little Princess Trust.

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