The past decade has seen many high-impact, genomics-driven discoveries that have ushered precision medicine as an emerging treatment for pediatric cancer. Pediatric tumours have a different genetic make-up and fewer actionable molecular targets than adult tumours, therefore, precision oncology designed for children promises to greatly improve survival.
There is currently a disconnect, with diagnostic analysis at the DNA level and oncology drugs targeting specific molecular targets at the protein level, leading to response rates of 15-20%. Therefore, there is a pressing need for novel diagnostic tests that examine all levels of cellular information – protein, RNA, and DNA — to accurately guide therapeutic decisions.
The Hospital for Sick Children and US-based NanoString Technologies have collaborated to develop next-generation molecular tools for characterizing children’s cancer. This technology interrogates DNA, RNA, and protein simultaneously, providing better analysis of the patient’s cancer and the information needed to determine the personalized care and accurate assignment of the best class of drugs for each patient. By delivering essential information in a targeted, cost-effective, and timely manner, this diagnostics solution for pediatric cancers will benefit patients, the regional economy, and the healthcare system.
This technology also has the potential in the future as a diagnostic tool for adult cancers. In a previous, successful GAPP project involving the same partners, their commercialized pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) and sarcoma tests were recently licensed by the Ontario Ministry of Health and the intellectual property (IP) has been licensed to Singapore and Hong Kong, with interest from Brazil as well. The work performed has created an evidence base for these tests and has resulted in over $1M in instrument and consumable sales for NanoString.
“Our lab is dedicated to improving outcomes for children with cancer. This project will enable us to better predict which drugs will work best for each child’s cancer.”
— Dr. Cynthia Hawkins, Senior Scientist & Principal Investigator, The Hospital for Sick Children
