Integrating cancer germline genetics, precision medicine and oncology to optimise management of paed

2024-04-02
Professor Richard D'Andrea from The University of South Australia researches better outcomes for AML patients.
Professor Richard D'Andrea from The University of South Australia researches better outcomes for AML patients.

Recipient: Professor Richard D'Andrea
Institute: The University of South Australia
The Kids' Cancer Project Funding: $249,696.40 July 2024 to June 2027
Cancer Australia PdCCRS: $249,696.40
My Room: $100,000
Total Funding: $599,392.80

Childhood acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) requires aggressive chemotherapy for treatment; however, approximately 30% of children with AML are not long-term survivors. It is now widely understood that the genes we are born with can affect our risk of developing AML and influence the response to treatment. 

Despite this knowledge, guidelines for doctors on how to best treat childhood AML patients based on their individual inherited genetic profile is lacking. This limits the impact that genetic information, now available through major technical advances, can have on treatment and could be leading to suboptimal outcomes in some childhood AML patients. 

This project addresses this gap by establishing national expert guidelines for the analysis and clinical utility of inherited genetic changes that are identified in childhood AML patients and will also investigate novel genetic mechanisms and indicators of harmful treatment responses, allowing better testing and adjustments to treatment to improve patient outcomes.