Ten highlights for ten years: Research
2025-04-09
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In the first of CEO Owen Finegan's ten highlights for ten years, we look at what we've achieved in the research sector during his decade-long tenure.
Research underpins everything we do at The Kids’ Cancer Project. After forging strong relationships with oncologists throughout Sydney’s hospital network in the 1990s, Col Reynolds opted to venture away from taking kids on day trips in his bus and into cancer research. We’ve never looked back since.
In the ten years since I’ve taken on the role of CEO, I’ve continued to push bold innovative research as The Kids’ Cancer Project’s point of difference. Our Research Advisory Committee ensures strong governance, recommending cutting edge projects that in many cases may not be funded elsewhere but through our due diligence we know that they have a great chance of improving survival and quality of life among young cancer patients. Our projects are segmented into our four research pillars – Discover, Translate, Support and Build.
We’ve expanded our investment to become a truly national charity and subsequently increasing the number of research institutes we work with, including funding the Australian Brain Cancer Mission, Cancer Australia’s Priority Driven Collaborative Cancer Research Scheme, the Australian New Zealand Sarcoma Association and the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
2016 was a pivotal year in my tenure as CEO and for The Kids’ Cancer Project as a whole. We established our partnership with ANZCHOG, the Australian & New Zealand Children's Haematology/Oncology Group. We’ve endeavoured to provide support and infrastructure to facilitate biobanking, real time data, world class cancer care and the ability to develop new trials and facilitate more international clinical trials for Australian and New Zealand children with cancer.
Celebrating ten years of partnership in 2025, The Kids’ Cancer Project has contributed over $3.8 million, which has helped to support 15 clinical trials and approximately 375 participants. A national biobank has also been created via the partnership.
2016 also saw the commencement of our commitment to the personalised medicine program that grew into the ZERO Childhood Cancer’s initial clinical trials, which offered real-time genomic testing for Australian children with aggressive cancers.
The Kids’ Cancer Project made an initial investment of $200,000 which allowed ZERO to demonstrate its capabilities to larger funding bodies, including state and federal governments. Just last month, ZERO received a $112 million investment from the Albanese Government, securing its status as standard of care and the pre-eminent childhood cancer program on the planet.
New CAR T-Cell Therapies for solid tumours enter clinical trials. Over a 14-year period, The Kids’ Cancer Project has invested approximately $4.5 million in CAR T-Cell and gene therapy research.
While we’ve funded externally, internally is where we’ve made a commitment to truly future-proof childhood cancer research. Coinciding with our 30th anniversary, we launched our new 2024-2029 research strategy and The Kids’ Cancer Project announced the inaugural Col Reynolds Fellowships in 2023, comprising a cohort of Australia’s most talented up and coming researchers. The announcement came with a $7.6 million pledge and a new research strategy, ensuring all kids with cancer will one day survive and thrive.
While we have highlighted many of the children and families and their experiences after a diagnosis, we probably do not tell the stories of our researchers as well. A definite highlight across my decade with The Kids’ Cancer Project has been calling our researchers who dedicate their life's work to our vision of kinder treatments and 100% survival.
While we have highlighted many of the children and families and their experiences after a diagnosis, we probably do not tell the stories of our researchers as well. A definite highlight across my decade with The Kids’ Cancer Project has been calling our researchers who dedicate their life's work to our vision of kinder treatments and 100% survival.
The exhilaration and joy for our founder Col Reynolds and I when we share the news that after a very exhaustive and competitive process, they have been successful in their applications for funding provided by our partners, donors and supporters. Watch the video below to see the excitement, tears and emotions from our current Col Reynolds Fellows when we announce the outcomes.
Looking to the future, The Kids’ Cancer Project is focused on future-proofing childhood cancer research by investing in cutting-edge technologies including AI, multi-omics data models, nanotechnology and bioprinting.
Stay tuned for my next highlight coming later this week!
Help me in my quest to raise $100,000. That's $10 for each the 10,000 kids that have been diagnosed with cancer over my 10-year tenure.