Roche, Institut Roche & Institut Curie join forces to fight pediatric cancers

While 80% of children with cancer can now be cured thanks to the tremendous advances made by both the medical and scientific communities, there are still certain types of tumors that are resistant to treatment and cause relapses. Launched in 2018 by Dr. Gudrun Schleiermacher, head of the Translational Research in Pediatric Oncology (RTOP) team at Institut Curie, the MICCHADO study aims to answer crucial questions about the management of these "high-risk" pediatric cancers, such as:

• How to increase the chances of cure from the time of diagnosis?
• Why are some cancers resistant to treatment?

Conducted in partnership with numerous centers, the study is planned for over 6 years (2018-2024) and aims to include nearly 600 young patients aged from 0 to 25.

New results: the identification of a molecular profile specific to a patient's tumour

At the halfway point and with more than 270 patients included, the MICCHADO study is making great strides, as is delighted to report Dr. Gudrun Schleiermacher, study leader:

This is a large-scale study, carried out in close collaboration between Institut Curie, Gustave Roussy and the Léon Berard Center, and involving all the centers of the French Society for the Fight against Childhood and Adolescent Cancer and Leukemia (SFCE). The results already obtained enable us, using our cutting-edge technologies, to identify a molecular profile specific to a patient's tumor from a simple blood test, and to determine its evolution, including in the event of progression or resistance to treatment - a first step in the development of more effective therapeutic approaches.

The team in charge of conducting the study is thus advancing towards its objective of better anticipating the risks of resistance to treatments. "Our ambition is also to put the scientific community on the trail of new therapeutic solutions, so that one day we will be able to cure all pediatric cancers," adds Dr. Schleiermacher.

A new stage in a long-standing collaboration

The signing of a collaboration agreement between Institut Curie, Roche & Institut Roche, longstanding partners, gives new impetus to the Micchado study, as explains Amaury Martin, head of the Technology Transfer Office at Institut Curie & head of Institut Carnot Curie Cancer:

The support of Roche and Institut Roche for the MICCHADO study opens a new chapter in a long-standing collaboration, focusing on the field of tumors in children, adolescents and young adults. Pediatric oncology is a major focus of the Institut Curie's MC21 strategic plan, labeled Carnot for its partnership research. The SIREDO oncology center is one of the most renowned pediatric centers in Europe for the treatment and inclusion of patients in clinical trials. The innovative MICCHADO study benefits from a unique and fundamental ecosystem of clinical and translational research, with state-of-the-art research teams.

"At Institut Roche, we are convinced that it is by combining our strengths and skills that we will be able to offer patients the best therapeutic solutions," says Hamasseh Shirvani, Scientific Partnership Project Manager at Institut Roche, whose mission is to identify innovative research projects and establish high-level scientific partnerships with organizations such as Institut Curie. "We share the same ambition to accelerate research in the field of personalized medicine and are convinced that the MICCHADO study is one of the promising studies capable of revolutionizing the management of pediatric cancers.”