Media – Blog about neuroblastoma biology

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

We celebrate Childhood Cancer Awareness Month every September. This is our chance to talk about this cancer, the patients and their families and what can be done to make a change.

Together with Prof Richard Arnett we asked a question – how intense is communication about neuroblastoma/childhood cancer on Twitter. There were 52126 neuroblastoma tweets in 69 days. Is it a big number?

Yellow dotes represent tweets. The intensity of yellow reflects the number of tweets per account. Many of them formed isolated communities with no connections. A few reach out. And this is very sad, it means that these communities do not interact with each other.

Communities have to come together then they will be heard. The Childhood Cancer Awareness months is a great opportunity to do it.

SFI Technology Innovation Development Award

An interesting idea or research question is always motivational. But it is a sketch till you get means to answer them. We, scientists, have to shape them into a proposal showing that we know limitations and have plans B & C if things go differently to planned. Then we apply for funding here and there… and many many times. The number of rejections makes us stronger – I hope. But one day, the idea may hit it right. So, it has happened to me recently and this SFI Award brings so needed fuel to study neuroblastoma.

The development and approval of new oncology drugs are very slow processes. This is mainly due to the big differences in the physiology of cancer cells grown on plastic and in the native microenvironment. Tissue engineering of tumour systems has a great potential to bridge this gap. This Award will help to advance our 3D tissue-engineered of neuroblastoma, that can be used in testing new drugs and new combinations of existing drugs.

In particular, we will adapt the 3D model to screen different immunotherapies. This treatment option is very attractive both for adults and children because of its specificity and reduced side effects compared to chemotherapy, the current standard of care.

This Award will help my team to get a better understanding how neuroblastoma cells interact with the body environment, particularly with the immune system and how we can use the knowledge to develop new treatments and improve the patient outlook.

International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day – February 15th 2019

International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) was founded in 2002 by Childhood Cancer International (CCI). Each year on February 15th we unite together to recognise childhood cancer as a national and global child health priority & to raise support, funding and awareness of this devastating desiease.

This year we team up with Amorino to run Hot Chocolate Morning. Please come along! All proceeds go to CMRF/NCRC and CFNCRF.

If you can’t join us, you can simply follow the link and donate ‘a cup of coffee/hot chocolate’ to CMRF Crumlin, the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Research Foundation & Childhood Cancer Foundation

Facebook Collection

I have a nice collection of pictures related to our lab activities or research, not all of them were posted here. Hope, that Facebook could provide an additional nice platform to store and share them. I am grouping them by theme in an album and link with a relevant blog post.

Let see how it would work!

A new, three-dimensional approach to cancer research

Appeared in today’s Irish Times. Lovely crafted by Dr. Vanesa Martinez

Although the discovery could be applicable in principle to any a solid tumour, Dr Piskareva’s target is neuroblastoma, a relatively common child cancer which affects a specific type of nerve cells in unborn children. “It’s quite aggressive and unfortunately there are many children who have metastasis when they are diagnosed, and this is the most challenging group to treat.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/a-new-three-dimensional-approach-to-cancer-research-1.3505347

Networks of Galaxies

Some researchers look into possibilities to predict real “me” by analysing what and how was said on social media.

This network of galaxies is a new project to get insights on how and where childhood cancer is placed on social media. It is a collaborative project with Prof Richard Arnett. It is already very exciting and more to come!

Science Through Artist Lenses

In preparation for ‘Discovery’ Launch Night-An Exploration of Cancer Research Through Art, the event that took place on Tuesday at The Tara Building. Tara Street, D2.

Things that are absolutely ordinary for researchers become inspirational! I was glad to be able to provide such environment.

#CancerWeekIreland

“Will a tumour spread?”

The article “The Invasion Equation. Will a tumor spread? That may depend as much on your body as on your cancer” by Siddhartha Mukherjee in the New Yorker nicely explains metastasis or how tumour cells spread in the body.

What is neuroblastoma?

Neuroblastoma is a childhood cancer. The word neuroblastoma consists of two words neuro and blastoma.The term neuro refers to nerves, blastoma – to a cancer of immature cells.

It starts in some types of nerve cells during embryo development.transforming immature nerve cells into cancerous cells. This type of cancer occurs most often in infants and young children mostly under the age of 5 years old.

Neuroblastomas behave very differently:

Cells can grow and spread quickly,
Cells can grow slowly
Cells can die for no reason, so a tumour goes away on its own.
Cells can mature on its own into normal ganglion cells and stop dividing,

The types of treatment used for neuroblastoma can include:

Surgery
Chemotherapy (the video explains how chemotherapy works)
Radiation therapy
High-dose chemotherapy/radiation therapy and stem cell transplant
Retinoid therapy
Immunotherapy

Children who survive have a high chance of developing long term side effects as a result of the treatment that saved their lives

More details about neuroblastoma can be found here:

American Cancer Society

Cancer Research UK

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!
Facts about childhood cancer

Please watch this video created by St. Baldrick’s Foundation | The Childhood Cancer Ripple Effect

References:
Gatta G, Botta L, Rossi S, Aareleid T, Bielska-Lasota M, Clavel J, et al. Childhood cancer survival in Europe 1999-2007: Results of EUROCARE-5-a population-based study. Lancet Oncol. 2014;15(1):35–47.
Ward E, Desantis C, Robbins A, Kohler B, Jemal A. Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Statistics, 2014. Ca Cancer J Clin. 2014;64(2):83–103.
Dolgin MJ, Jay SM. Childhood cancer. 1989;327–40.
Miller RW, Young Jr. JL, Novakovic B. Childhood cancer. Cancer [Internet]. 1995;75(1 Suppl):395–405.
Raab CP, Gartner JC. Diagnosis of Childhood Cancer. Primary Care – Clinics in Office Practice. 2009. p. 671–84.
Howlader N, Noone A, Krapcho M, Garshell J, Miller D, Altekruse S, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2011 [Internet]. National Cancer Institute. 2014.
Ries L a. G, Smith M a., Gurney JG, Linet M, Tamra T, Young JL, et al. Cancer incidence and survival among children and adolescents: United States SEER Program 1975-1995. NIH Pub No 99-4649. 1999;179 pp
Warren KE. Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma: poised for progress. Front Oncol [Internet]. 2012;2(December):205.
Lackner H, Benesch M, Schagerl S, Kerbl R, Schwinger W, Urban C. Prospective evaluation of late effects after childhood cancer therapy with a follow-up over 9 years. Eur J Pediatr. 2000;159(10):750–8.