Children's Cancer Institute

31/05/2026

Children’s Cancer Institute was delighted to welcome members of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Medical Research to the UNSW Health Translation Hub, including a visit to the Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre, to start the day.

During the visit, parliamentarians had the opportunity to see where our groundbreaking research is being undertaken to improve outcomes for children with cancer and hear more about the incredible progress being made.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and for your continued support of childhood cancer research.

Australian Medical Research Institutes The George Institute for Global Health

29/05/2026

Our team were thrilled to welcome Jack, his mum Viv, and his dad Alex into our offices recently.

Back in 2018, Jack's ganglioglioma had relapsed and he was rapidly running out of options. He was enrolled on the Zero Childhood Cancer Program, where our researchers identified a specific genetic mutation driving his cancer - and a targeted treatment to fight it. Within days, Jack went from bed-bound and in agony to sitting up. Within weeks, he was riding his bike.

That discovery came from the work of our computational biology team, led by Professor Mark Cowley.

In 2018, Jack's tumour was sequenced and molecularly profiled at the Garvan Institute, where Mark and his team identified a BRAF V600E mutation driving the cancer. This was important because targeted therapies had already been developed to treat adult melanoma’s driven by the same mutation, so this could potentially work for Jack too.

At the time though, the evidence base for genomic medicine in childhood cancer was not yet established, meaning Jack nearly didn't get access to those life-saving drugs at all. The fact that he did is a testament to the impact of medical research, and the power of ZERO.

Jack and his family visited our offices to be interviewed by one of our founding researchers, Professor Murray Norris, who is writing a book about the Institute. And while they were here, they also stopped in to visit the computational biology team - and the feeling in that room was something special.

They even brought a gift - a trophy inscribed with the words:
"With sincere thanks to Mark Cowley and the team at Zero Childhood Cancer. For identifying the BRAF V600E mutation and helping guide the treatment that changed Jack's life."

Moments like these are exactly why our researchers show up every single day. They don't always get to see the faces behind the samples. So, when a family walks through the door, thriving and grateful, it means everything.

Jack is now 18, happy, healthy and full of life - a testament to the power of research and exceptional clinical care.

29/05/2026

In 2011, what has become a wonderful partnership between Children's Cancer Institute and international charity The Cure Starts Now began with a $156,000 research grant. Today, the charity and the DIPG/ DMG Collaborative partners have contributed more than $3 million to the Institute’s research into childhood brain tumours, focusing on the worst of them all, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

According to the recipient of that first grant, Professor David Ziegler, DIPG — one of a deadly group of brain cancers called diffuse midline gliomas or DMG — is untreatable and universally fatal, usually within a year of diagnosis.

Working both as a paediatric oncologist at the Kids Cancer Centre in Sydney Children’s Hospital and as head of the Brain Tumour Group at Children’s Cancer Institute, Professor Ziegler said that each time he has to explain to the parents of a child with DIPG that their child is going to die, it hardens his resolve to find a way to treat this deadly cancer.

“Having to deliver such heartbreaking news is extremely difficult, but there is hope for the future. Through dedicated research, and with the help of The Cure Starts Now, I believe we can change the outlook for children diagnosed with DIPG in the future.”

It was also back in 2011 that The Cure Starts Now founded The DIPG/DMG Collaborative, a cooperative effort of independent foundations from around the world helping to fund long term DIPG/DMG research, effectively turning individual philanthropic contributions into a coordinated, high-impact research enabler.

Associate Professor Maria Tsoli, who works as Senior Scientist in the Brain Tumour Group at Children’s Cancer Institute, said this funding has been instrumental to her work at the Institute.

“The support of The Cure Starts Now and The DIPG/DMG Collaborative has been transformative for my research. Their commitment to funding high-impact science has enabled us to pursue important research questions that would otherwise be out of reach, directly driving key discoveries, including identifying new targets and therapies for DIPG, as well as developing preclinical models that are now informing clinical translation.”

“Without their unwavering belief in our work, many of these breakthroughs simply would not have happened.”

Read more about some of the pioneering research projects The Cure Starts Now have helped fund:
https://www.ccia.org.au/blog/the-cure-starts-now---making-the-dollars-count-for-kids-with-cancer

The Cure Starts Now Australia

In 2011, what has become a wonderful partnership between Children’s Cancer Institute and international charity The Cure Starts Now began with a $156,000 research grant.

26/05/2026

The Kids' Cancer Project and Children's Cancer Institute are pleased to today announce the launch of the Josh McCarroll PhD Excellence Award – a newly-developed PhD Top Up Scholarship which will be awarded to an outstanding student to further excel research into childhood cancer across Australia.

The tax-free award, which has been developed in collaboration by both childhood cancer research charity organisations, will be offered up to a value of $10,000 AUD per annum for up to three years and will be presented to PhD students who are currently enrolled in a PhD program at Children’s Cancer Institute and have demonstrated exceptionally high potential.

The Kids’ Cancer Project and Children’s Cancer Institute Australia are proud of the naming of the award in honour of the late Associate Professor Josh McCarroll, who passed away in 2025 after a courageous battle with cancer.

This award honours that long-standing partnership and Josh’s lasting impact on the field, with Children’s Cancer Institute and The Kids’ Cancer Project partnering together to commemorate his lasting impact in childhood cancer research and belief in fostering an exceptional, supportive environment for young researchers to thrive. ❤️

Read more at: https://www.ccia.org.au/blog/introducing-the-josh-mccarroll-phd-excellence-award

22/05/2026

💚 It’s National Volunteer Week and there’s still time to get involved.

We’re looking for passionate volunteers to help bring Diamond Ball 2026 to life — one of Children's Cancer Institute’s most significant fundraising events.

Volunteering on the night is more than just giving your time, it’s a chance to be part of a fun, fast‑paced and meaningful experience, working alongside an incredible team while supporting vital childhood cancer research.

💎 Saturday 19 September 2026
📍 ICC Sydney

Whether you’re keen to volunteer yourself or know someone who would love to be part of it, we’d love your support.

👉 Sign up or learn more
🔗 https://rsvp.zkipster.com/_7mr7m8

22/05/2026

World-first results from a new Australian study have shown that precision medicine – where treatment is targeted to the individual based on genetic factors – can improve outcomes in children with deadly brain cancer.

Published this week in the high-impact journal Nature Communications, the study focused on a group of brain cancers known as ‘H3K27-altered diffuse midline glioma’ (DMG), highly aggressive brain tumours mainly affecting young children which are almost always fatal, often within a year of diagnosis.

“Our study is the first to show that precision-guided therapy can significantly extend survival in children with these cancers,” said Professor David Ziegler, Chair of Clinical Trials for the Zero Childhood Cancer Program, and co-senior author on the paper.

The study included 68 children enrolled on the Zero Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO), Australia’s national precision medicine program for children with cancer, jointly led by Children's Cancer Institute and Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, and involving all of Australia’s children’s hospitals.

Tumour samples from each child were analysed to identify genetic alterations, or variants, driving the cancer’s growth. On the basis of the results, a suitable targeted therapy (precision-guided therapy) was able to be recommended for 74% of the children.

Results showed that, of the children who received a ZERO-recommended (precision-guided) therapy, more than half (52%) derived clinical benefit, either their tumour shrunk, or their disease stabilised. Strikingly, the median overall survival of children in this group was close to double that of children who did not receive a precision-guided therapy (21.3 months versus 12.1 months).

Another important finding of the study was that this in-depth molecular profiling, including both whole genome sequencing and RNA sequencing, not only enabled a targeted therapy to be identified in most cases, but also led to a change in diagnosis in a substantial proportion of patients.

The study’s results are sure to provide much-needed hope for the families of children diagnosed with these devastating cancers.

Read the full story at ccia.support/news220526

18/05/2026

Today, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, Governor-General of Australia, officially opened the groundbreaking ACRF Spatial Immune-oncology Research (ASpIRe) Program at Children's Cancer Institute.

Made possible through a $2 million grant from Australian Cancer Research Foundation, ASpIRe is bringing world-leading spatial multiomics technology to Australia to help unlock the next generation of personalised immunotherapies for children with cancer.

While immunotherapy has transformed outcomes for many adult cancers, children have not yet seen the same breakthroughs. ASpIRe aims to change that — helping researchers understand exactly how childhood cancers interact with and evade the immune system, so treatments can be more precise, more effective and less toxic.

This program is the third pillar in a long-term investment by ACRF in world-leading research at Children’s Cancer Institute, building on the existing Zero Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO) and the ACRF Child Cancer Liquid Biopsy Program, creating the nation’s most powerful collection of childhood cancer data and research capability.

Find out more at https://ccia.support/ASpIReOpening

11/05/2026

Ron Bathis was known by those around him as a private but deeply kind person. He built lasting friendships across Australia and around the world, and quietly cared about the wellbeing of others — especially children and families facing difficult circumstances.

Although Ron was not personally known to Children's Cancer Institute during his lifetime, he made a remarkable and generous decision. When he passed away in 2025, he chose to leave a gift to the Institute in his Will — joining a community of extraordinary people who have decided that their legacy will help give children with cancer a chance at a long and healthy life.

A gift in Will costs nothing during a person's lifetime, yet its impact can be profound and lasting. For Children's Cancer Institute, gifts like Ron's are among the most meaningful support we receive.
Today, cancer still takes more children's lives in Australia than any other disease. Every week, three precious young lives are lost. Children's Cancer Institute is the only independent medical research institute in Australia wholly dedicated to childhood cancer — working to move research discoveries from the lab bench to hospital bedsides as quickly as possible.

We are deeply grateful for Ron's extraordinary gift, which will have a profound and lasting impact on our mission to find safer, more effective treatments, and ultimately, a cure for every child with cancer.

Ron may have been a quiet man, but his legacy speaks loudly. It is a powerful reminder that one life, lived with kindness and compassion, can help change the future for children with cancer.

11/05/2026

On 21 Feb 2024, 5 year old Aria passed away after an 18-month battle with leukaemia. She deserved better.

Last year, the CrossFit community showed up:
🔥 25+ gyms nationwide
🔥 $45K raised for Children's Cancer Institute.

In 2026, the Calories Against Childhood Cancer team are going bigger!

📅 Saturday 20 June 2026
🏋️‍♂️ National charity WOD
🎯 $10 minimum participation donation per person going directly to Children’s Cancer Institute.

Host a WOD. Rally your crew. Raise what you can.

We’ll make it EASY for you — you’ll get everything you need:
✔️ Fundraising links
✔️ Charity page + QR codes
✔️ Posters + promo assets
✔️ Video guide on how to run the day

👉 Register now at ccia.org.au/event/calories-against-childhood-cancer

Let’s honour Aria. Let’s fight for the kids.
Let’s show what this community can do.

06/05/2026

This morning the Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre (MCCCC) was officially opened by Federal Health Minister Mark Butler MP, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Health Dr Michael Holland MP - Member for Bega and Dr Andrew Forrest AO, Founder of Minderoo Foundation.

They were joined by Professor Louis Chesler, Executive Director of Children's Cancer Institute, Dr Richard Mitchell, Director of the Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, Cathryn Cox PSM, CEO of Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, Karen Beetson, Director of Aboriginal Health at Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, Professor Attila Brungs, UNSW Vice Chancellor and Tanya O’Neill — mother of childhood cancer survivor Jack.

The MCCCC unites leading researchers, clinicians and educators from Children’s Cancer Institute, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and UNSW Sydney – ushering in a new era of bedside-to-bench-to-bedside treatment.

Built on a 40+ year partnership between Children’s Cancer Institute, the Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick and UNSW Sydney, the MCCCC includes:
🔬 State-of-the-art research laboratories
🏥 Modern, family centred oncology inpatient units
🩺 A new day oncology treatment space
🎓 Dedicated education, training and research facilities
🤝 Shared spaces designed to foster staff connection and collaboration

The MCCCC will benefit kids like Jack, who was just eight when diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour that turned his family's world upside down. Through the Zero Childhood Cancer Program — a world-leading precision medicine initiative led by Children’s Cancer Institute and the Kids Cancer Centre — Jack’s tumour was identified as a highly aggressive subtype, ensuring he received the most intensive treatment available, potentially saving his life.

Jack has now finished treatment, but his family lives with the knowledge that his cancer carries a 40% chance of returning. His story illustrates the power of research and clinical care working side-by-side. The MCCCC is exactly the kind of integrated research environment that gives kids like Jack — and the families who love them — more hope for a future free from childhood cancer.

Both the NSW Government and Australian Government have financially supported the construction of the Centre with substantial philanthropic contributions from Children's Cancer Institute, Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation, UNSW and the Minderoo Foundation, naming rights sponsor.

📷 Photos by Kirk Photography