Tag: #neuroblastoma

Hi everyone! I’m Isabelle

Hi everyone! I’m Isabelle. I’m 24 years old, and I’ve recently joined Dr Olga Piskareva’s group to start my PhD. I’m originally from Germany, where I completed both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees before moving on to this new adventure.

My interest in science goes back further than I can remember, but one of my earliest memories is taking part in a microscopy course when I was in fifth grade. I found it fascinating to discover a whole new world through a microscope, and looking back, it’s quite nice to think that my curiosity back then eventually led me to where I am today! I’m excited to deepen my knowledge, take on new challenges, and see where this PhD journey takes me.

Outside the lab, I enjoy cooking, staying active through sports, reading, and catching up with friends. I’m always happy to find a good book to get lost in, and one of my favourites is The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, which I absolutely loved!

I’m really looking forward to this new chapter, learning from everyone in the group, and getting to know everyone better! 😊

Written by Isabelle Pakulla, POI-2 PhD Student

We Reached Our Fundraising Goal

We started our fundraising in June with the VHI Women’s Mini-Marathon and cocluded with a PubQuiz. We raised 1K to be split between two amazing charities that support neuroblastoma research: the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Cancer Research Foundation and Neuroblastoma UK.

We thank all our supporters for their generous donations!

Eight walkers, 112 kilometres, one cause

This September, our team laced up our boots for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month to join Neuroblastoma UK’s campaign. Eight of us each walked ~14 km, 112 km in all, to raise awareness of neuroblastoma. 1 km for each child diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the last 12 months in Ireland and the UK. This cancer of developing nerve cells mostly affects babies and young children, and it’s still one of the hardest childhood cancers to treat.

We chose Howth for our route. Starting near the harbour, we headed west along the shore towards Sutton, then followed the coast south and east around the headland. We passed the Baily Lighthouse and climbed onto the cliff path, and the last stretch took us along the Howth Cliff Walk back to where we’d started. We had sea views the whole way, and a few tired legs by the end.

Every kilometre was a chance to talk about neuroblastoma: how its early signs are easy to miss, and why research into better, kinder treatments matters. Families facing this diagnosis walk a far harder road than we did, and we walked with them in mind.

Thank you to everyone who cheered us on. If you’d like to support the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Cancer Research Foundation and Neuroblastoma UK, you can donate to our GoFundMe page.

A childhood cancer: September is gold-ribbon month

Our research is focused on neuroblastoma, a cancer of immature nerve cells that almost only affects babies and young children. It is one of the most unpredictable tumours in medicine: some vanish on their own, others are among the hardest childhood cancers to cure.

The genes that change the odds

MYCN amplification

Extra copies of the MYCN oncogene appear in about 20–25% of tumours. It drives aggressive growth, and any child with it is usually treated as high-risk regardless of stage.

ALK & PHOX2B

ALK mutations occur in roughly 10% of tumours and are the main cause of the rare inherited form (1–2% of cases). ALK can be targeted with drugs such as lorlatinib.

Chromosome changes

Losses of 1p or 11q and gains of 17q signal more aggressive disease. Whole-chromosome gains (hyperdiploidy) in infants tend to mean a better outlook.

Congratulations to a newly minted Dr Federica Cottone!

Summer is a holiday season for some and a hot time for others, regardless of the weather conditions. Federica was no exception. On Monday, July 27th, she successfully passed her PhD examination. A long marathon has been completed! Congratulations to a newly minted Dr Federica Cottone!!! Well deserved.

Huge thanks go to her examiners, Profs Brona Murphy (RCSI) and Oscar Bedoya Reina (Karolinska Institute) and the independent chair, Prof Darren Griffith!

Onwards and upwards!

Hot off the Press!

We are over the moon with our work being recognised by the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy Molecular Therapy Family of Journals. The results are published in a Special Issue focused on the Advances in Paediatric Cancer Therapy. It is a true milestone in a challenge we undertook in collaboration with Prof Helen McCarthy at Queen’s University Belfast, with High-Risk, High-Gain funding from the Higher Education Authority North-South Research Programme. We did prove the HEA Ambition to highlight the huge potential of their initiative. Now, I can share the score for our application – it was 99/100*! Oh, my!!!! We are so happy that our idea was recognised back then. *I am still struggling to reach this threshold in other applications. 😉


Indeed, great research is teamwork, trust and collaboration – huge appreciation goes to Chayanika Saha, Federica Cottone, Eve O’Donoghue, Rabia Saleem, and Binyumeng Jiang. You are the Rising Stars!

Ellen receives her IACR/EACR Junior Scientist Award 2025


However, my extreme credit goes to Ellen King, PhD, who took on my ambitious challenge (go/no-go!), trusted me, went above and beyond, and turned her PhD project into this publication with passion and diligence. Just for context, it took us 12 months with 7 rejections to receive the quality approval mark for this publication. All this time, she was on top of the reviewing and publishing game after graduating with her PhD in 2024, developing her own immuno-oncology portfolio in London. Onwards and upwards Ellen King, PhD!


We are proud to collaborate with the family of John Foley CMC, FIMCA, MIET. – the true inspiration for not giving up! Their story of the neuroblastoma battle is heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time.
The Higher Education Authority funding helped us to secure follow-up funding from the Health Research Board (HRB) & the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Cancer Research Foundation ( via HRCI – Health Research Charities Ireland) and Neuroblastoma UK. We appreciate their trust in our ambition and vision. THANK YOU!

The VHI Mini Marathon 2026 – the Start of our Childhood Cancer Awareness Campaign. 

Yesterday, 30,000 runners, joggers, and walkers took part in the 44th VHI Women’s Mini Marathon. We were ages 14 to 92, from diverse cultural, educational, and fitness backgrounds. Each set their own ambition and target. It was my fourth race. My targets stayed the same: raising awareness for Childhood Cancer Research, supporting the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Cancer Research Foundation, and finishing within 1 hour and 15 minutes with a smile.

The atmosphere was cheering and empowering, and the weather was very kind to us. I was in a pink wave, and we started about 12:30ish. Running in a big company with your allies is enjoyable and empowering. I was sinking into the diversity and variety of running women and supporters along the road, enjoying every minute. Some took over me, and I took over some. Somewhere after 5K, I was tapped by my TERG colleagues, so the race became even more enjoyable.

The Vhi Mini Marathon 2026 kicks off our Childhood Cancer Awareness and Fundraising Campaign. We will support two amazing childhood cancer research charities: the Conor Foley Neuroblastoma Cancer Research Foundation (CFNCRF) and Neuroblastoma UK (NBUK). We would be very grateful if you could support our call before and during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month via GoFundMe.

Our anti-cancer vaccine work at the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy 2026

We presented at the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy Meeting 2026 – an excellent opportunity to showcase your research and expand your network. Delighted for our team, we secured two oral presentations: an elevator pitch by Rabia Saleem and one by me.

Some of my highlights, on top of the top-notch science, are:
– The Welcome address was a Thing. A craic of Irish music and dancing. What a start! Felt very proud to be Irish. Thank you to ISCT, the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy & Karen English for capturing Irish flavours so well.
– 1540 posters covering various areas of cell and gene therapy, Plenary sessions – short and sweet, an excellent showcase of many projects via Elevator Pitches (2 min each) or Oral presentations (10 min each). Active interactions at the poster session. Rabia Saleem poster attracted Cytotherapy Editor – well done!
– Creative exhibition stands and interactions. NO to plain pens and water bottles, YES to puzzles, LEGO toys, travel pillows, stress balls, and the highlight – make your own bear!

Student placements

Hi everyone!

My name is Maryam Almotawaa, and I’m a 4th-year pharmacy student.

I am working on research to identify a promising tumour-associated antigen for immunotherapy. I used the R2 platform to review datasets, including neuroblastoma and non-small cell lung cancer. I spent some time in the lab observing Lin and Eve working on a Western blot for GPC2, a promising neuroblastoma and non-small cell lung cancer antigen. I was involved in a small part of a Western blot experiment in which I washed the secondary antibody. Even though it wasn’t a big task, it made me realise that even small steps matter and can affect the final result.

Outside my academic life, I really enjoy spending quality time with my friends, whether that’s catching up over coffee or exploring new food spots around Dublin. I also value having time to unwind and recharge, especially after busy academic periods, as it helps me maintain a good balance between my studies and personal life.

All vials contain specific solutions that help confirm protein expression adsorbed onto the PVDF membrane.

Written by Maryam Almotawaa

Looking at Brain Tumors, One slice at a Time 

’m writing to you from the Biomedicum, a research facility at the University of Helsinki. As you can probably guess, I didn’t travel here for the Finnish weather, but to collaborate with a team that is part of the European Mac4Me consortium. This group specialises in a fascinating imaging technique called multiplex immunohistochemistry. In simple terms, they take patient tissue samples or samples created in the lab and cut them into incredibly thin slices—just 4 micrometres thick, which is about 4/100ths of a millimetre. They then use multiple rounds of staining with antibodies to visualise different tumour markers and map out exactly where these markers are located within the sample. You can see an example of this stained tissue below. 

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma samples stained for 4 different markers using multiplex immunohistochemistry. 
Viiklepp K Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2025 

For this project, I brought along different versions of a “brain-like” hydrogel I’ve created in the lab. These hydrogels have varying stiffness and molecular compositions, and they contain Neuroblastoma tumour cells growing within them (you can see simple cell staining below). My goal here is to use the lab’s advanced imaging machine to observe how these tumour cells behave. I want to see if they are multiplying, if they seem stressed or healthy, and how they adapt to the different molecular environments of the hydrogels. 

This approach will be incredibly valuable for studying how the tumour’s surroundings—the microenvironment—influence the spread of Neuroblastoma to the brain. It will also help us understand what happens when we add new molecular components to the hydrogel to more closely mimic the brain environment. Looking ahead, I plan to use this same technique for an even more complex experiment: by growing immune cells together with the neuroblastoma cells, I hope to visualise and identify the specific pathways the cancer cells use to communicate with and potentially suppress the immune system. 

Neuroblastoma cell line (in blue) in a hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel. Day 1 left and day 5 right. 

Written by Pierluca Cancellieri, Mac4Me MSCA PhD