Childhood cancer is an umbrella term for many other types of this disease. Cancer is the 2nd most common cause of death among children after accidents.
Every September, many charities, researchers and parents of children with cancer work hard to raise awareness of this cancer. You may learn more about kids with cancer, their loving families, the doctors and caregivers who look after them and treat them, the young survivors of cancer and those kids and teens who lost their battle, and the scientists who work hard to find a way to stop childhood cancer.
The RCSI Cancer Bioengineering group is excited to announce our upcoming fundraising event! Join us for a Charity Night Pub Quiz on September 24th at 6:00 pm in Slattery’s D4 pub., in honour of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. All donations will go to the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Cancer Research Foundation (CFNCRF).
Test your trivia knowledge, win great raffle prizes, and make a difference together! Our pub quiz is open to everyone, with friends and family encouraged to attend. We can’t wait to see you there!
If you’re unable to make it but still want to support our fundraising efforts, we would greatly appreciate your donation. Please either buy the Raffle tickets or donate directly via the CFNCRF.
As a DevelopMed Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, I am committed to advancing childhood cancer research by investigating the biology of neuroblastoma, a complex and aggressive paediatric solid tumour. My research focuses on the high-risk form of the disease, where amplification of the MYCN oncogene is strongly associated with poor prognosis.
The project aims to elucidate the pathway crosstalk regulated by MYCN—specifically, how it alters normal cellular signalling and governs the critical cell fate decisions between proliferation and apoptosis. By employing mass spectrometry-based proteomics combined with systems biology approaches, I am constructing a comprehensive map of MYCN-driven signalling networks to identify potential therapeutic targets that could improve clinical outcomes for affected children.
A distinctive and rewarding aspect of my fellowship is my role as a visiting scientist at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), where I collaborate with Dr. Olga Piskareva’s lab, an internationally recognised leader in 3D neuroblastoma research. Here, I am gaining hands-on experience with 3D neuroblastoma spheroid culture systems, which more accurately recapitulate tumour behaviour compared to traditional 2D models. These advanced systems enable a deeper understanding of drug responses, tumour architecture, and cellular interactions in a physiologically relevant context.
This collaborative framework between UCD and RCSI fosters a dynamic, translational research environment and exemplifies the core values of the Marie Curie programme—innovation, collaboration, and real-world impact.
Every stage of this journey—from pathway elucidation to 3D model validation—contributes to the overarching goal of developing more effective, targeted therapies for children diagnosed with neuroblastoma.
We are delighted to provide training and contribute to neuroblastoma research through the Mac4Me Doctoral Network Programme. Mac4Me is a 48-month project that addresses both technical and social challenges in cancer metastasis. It focuses on three tumour types that show poor response to current immunotherapies: neuroblastoma, breast, and prostate cancer. These tumour types reflect cancer development across a person’s lifetime and share metastatic disease spreading to the brain, bone, and liver.
Working alongside researchers and patients, the network will train 18 Doctoral Candidates to study the tumour microenvironment at metastatic sites, with a particular focus on the macrophage immune cell population. It will combine organ-on-chip technology with microfluidic systems to investigate early cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions during tumour invasion. Mac4Me will move beyond traditional “thinking in boxes” approaches by integrating bioinformatics and Artificial Intelligence solutions with real-world clinical data. The project will focus on patient experiences and translate scientific advances into meaningful outcomes.
The kick-off meeting of Mac4Me partners, Feb 2025
We are very proud to train two out of 18 Doctoral Candidates, building upon the expertise of Drs Ian Woods, Adrian Dervan and Prof Fergal O’Brien in biomaterials and 3D bioprinting and Dr Olga Piskareva in neuroblastoma biology and 3D in vitro cancer models.
I’m excited to kick off my second-year PhD journey with a deeper dive into cancer research. This is my first blog post of the year, and I’m eager to share what’s sparking my curiosity. So, I came across a paper by Tivnan et al. (2012), which focused on the targeted delivery of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) using nanoparticles. What intrigued me most was how these nanoparticles are designed to deliver therapies straight to cancer cells. Neuroblastoma is a highly aggressive and difficult-to-treat tumour, so finding a way to target it without affecting healthy cells could be a breakthrough.
Here’s what makes this study so exciting: the team developed a nanoparticle system coated with anti-GD2, a molecule that recognizes and binds to GD2, a marker commonly found on neuroblastoma cells. Think of these GD2-coated nanoparticles as specialized delivery trucks with a precise address—they’re designed to deliver miR-34a.
Now, let’s dive into the details of miR-34a’s role. MiR-34a isn’t just any therapeutic agent—it’s a master regulator capable of influencing multiple genes involved in cell growth, survival, and blood vessel formation. By releasing miR-34a into tumour cells, this study activated pathways that induced cell death and suppressed angiogenesis, preventing the tumour from forming new blood vessels. It’s almost as if miR-34a is a conductor orchestrating a complex, multi-step attack on cancer, using the tumour’s own cellular mechanisms against it.
The Results? A Direct and Multi-Layered Attack on Tumor’s
In their mouse model, the GD2-targeted nanoparticles packed with miR-34a significantly reduced tumour growth. These “smart” nanoparticles didn’t just shrink tumors by inducing apoptosis (cell death); they also cut off the tumor’s blood supply by promoting the expression of TIMP2, an anti-angiogenic protein. Essentially, the tumor cells were directly targeted and deprived of the resources they needed to survive—a powerful one-two punch.
Where Do We Go From Here?
This study is an excellent example of how targeted therapies could evolve to tackle other types of cancer. Traditional therapies, like chemotherapy, often affect both healthy and cancerous cells, leading to significant side effects. In contrast, this targeted approach delivers miR-34a specifically to neuroblastoma cells, which could be especially beneficial for pediatric patients who need treatments that minimize harm to developing bodies. Imagine pairing nanoparticles like these with different therapeutic targets, such as GPC2, ALK, or PDL1, or even combining them with existing treatments to boost effectiveness while minimizing side effects. For those in the field, the potential here feels like a breakthrough waiting to happen.
The RCSI Cancer Bioengineering Group hosted an in-person event during the National PPI Festival 2024 to share their childhood cancer research and connect with the public and patients.
We welcomed members of the public, family members of children with cancer, researchers, clinicians, and patient/community organisations on October 17th. Our past lab members and students paid a visit, too! Our group shared ongoing research on neuroblastoma biology and finding new treatments. Prof Cormac Owens from CHI brought us through the journey of clinical trials in neuroblastoma patients. We heard the heartbreaking story of the brave young man who lost his life to neuroblastoma and his parents who never gave up. This truly inspirational family founded a charity – the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Cancer Research Foundation, to support curiosity-driven and translationally-focused research. The Foleys know very well how important it is to return happy days to kids and their families.
Cancer is the 2nd most common cause of death among children after accidents.
Childhood cancer is an umbrella term for many other types of this disease. Every September, many charities, researchers and parents of children with cancer work hard to raise awareness of this cancer. You may learn more about kids with cancer, their loving families, the doctors and caregivers who look after them and treat them, the young survivors of cancer and those kids and teens who lost their battle, and the scientists who work hard to find a way to stop childhood cancer.
This year, our research team will run the Pub Quiz on September 18th, 2024, in honour of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. All donations will go to the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Research Foundation (CFNRF).
If you would like to get involved in this amazing challenge and help us raise vital funds for childhood cancers, you can contribute to our fundraising page:
Huge congrats to a newly minted Dr Ellen King! She passed her PhD viva on April 9. This is a testimony to your dedication, strong will and hard work. May this PhD be the beginning of many more successful endeavours, Ellen!
A wonderful day of knitting – Knit-A-Thon-2023 raised 913 euros. A massive thank you to everyone who stopped by and donated on the day and beyond. Every cent counts! The money was split evenly between our four chosen charities: The Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Research Foundation (CFNRF), Neuroblastoma UK (NBUK), Oscars Kids and Childhood Cancer Ireland (CCI). These charities were established and are run by parents, some of whom lost their children to cancer. They continue their children’s legacy, doing an amazing job of advocating for children with cancer and better funding for research and aftercare.
Knit-A-Thon 2023
And a special thank you to Ciara’s mam Aggie for the amazing handmade raffle prizes (chromosomes, antibodies, cup holders and many more) and a Master class on the day! We thank Jenny Duffy (RCSI Events and Communications Coordinator) for her time crocheting with us and for us! Thanks to Anggie’s and Jenny’s skills, there were lots of mascots to win – and many of them collected already. We much appreciate the support from the RCSI Estates and Porters who looked after us on the day.
We are the Cancer Bioengineering Group, and September is a very special month for us as it is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Childhood cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in children after accidents. Our group researches childhood cancer neuroblastoma, a cancer of immature nerve cells. Despite intensive multimodal treatment, as many as 1 in 5 children with aggressive neuroblastoma do not respond, and up to 50% of children that do respond experience disease recurrence with many metastatic tumours resistant to many drugs and more aggressive tumour behaviour that all too frequently results in death.
This is what we want to change! We believe that every child deserves a future, and our team of postgraduate researchers led by Dr Olga Piskareva is dedicated to strengthening our knowledge of this disease and identifying new potential ways to tackle it, as well as taking part in fundraising activities so our group and others can continue with this research.
On Tuesday, the 19th of September, we are running a Knit-A-Thon using gold and purple yarn to mark childhood cancer and neuroblastoma, respectively. Our patterns are inspired by Neuroblastoma UK and Mr Google, indeed.
This year, we honour 4 charities that are doing an amazing job of advocating for children with cancer and better funding for research and aftercare. Therefore, the donations we receive will be split equally among The Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Research Foundation (CFNRF), Neuroblastoma UK (NBUK), Oscars Kids and Childhood Cancer Ireland (CCI). If you would like to get involved in the Knit-A-Thon and help us raise vital funds for childhood cancers, come along on the day and make a donation to these wonderful charities.
On the day, RCSI 123 SSG will #GoGold in support of this cause. Please come by to see the RCSI building lit up and share your pictures on social media with the hashtag #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth to raise awareness.
Ready, Steady, Go!
Every year we manage to raise an amazing 1500-2000 euros by organising a new challenge. We are eager to surpass that target this year. All donations no matter how small are appreciated at GoFundMe.
