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H2020Doctoral network2020–2024

VAGABOND · Validation of Actionable Genomic ABerrations in a paediatric Oncology Network for Doctorate students

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2020-12-01 → 2024-11-30
EU contribution
€3,989,713
Participants
12
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Results in brief

Validation of Actionable Genomic ABerrations in a paediatric Oncology Network for Doctorate students

Pre-clinical drug development for pediatric cancers is highly complex, resource-intensive, and requires multidisciplinary expertise alongside innovative approaches. The VAGABOND-ETN consortium, consisting of 12 academic and 6 non-academic partners across 8 European countries, has trained 15 Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) to address these challenges. The overall aim of VAGABOND is to establish a multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral framework to efficiently validate new target-drug combinations in pediatric cancers. This is achieved through three main scientific objectives: 1. Identification and validation of pediatric cancer-specific molecular genetic aberrations and related interventions. 2. Characterization of epigenetic changes in pediatric cancers and their translation into targeted therapies. 3. Analysis of the immune environment in pediatric cancers and the development of therapeutic immune interventions. Scientific and Societal Impact VAGABOND directly addresses key challenges in pediatric cancer research, aiming to bridge knowledge gaps and accelerate drug development. The anticipated impact includes: Advancing knowledge in eight difficult-to-treat pediatric cancers by overcoming challenges related to their rarity through data-sharing and collaboration. Enhancing expertise in the proof-of-concept pipeline for preclinical drug development, focusing on genetic, epigenetic, and immunologic targets. Training a new generation of scientists with the skills to translate scientific discoveries into therapeutic applications, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Through international education and multidisciplinary collaboration, the consortium provided a unique European training network, equipping ESRs with comprehensive expertise in preclinical drug development. Researchers gained access to leading academic research groups, specialized multi-sectoral companies, and cutting-edge technologies, strengthening their ability to address future challenges in translational medicine.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Pre-clinical drug development for paediatric cancers is very complex, resource intensive and requiring multi-disciplinary expertise and innovative approaches. The VAGABOND ITN, consisting of 12 academic and 6 non-academic partners from 8 European countries, aims to create a multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral program to validate new therapeutic interventions in paediatric cancer. This network will be sustainable embedded in the ITCC (Innovative Treatments for Children with Cancer) Consortium. The VAGABOND ITN will focus on 15 cutting-edge research projects studying molecular, epigenetic and immunological targets. All projects will (partly) include target identification, in vitro and in vivo validation, compound testing and preparation for clinical implementation. This consortium will highly stimulate international education and multi-disciplinary exchange of expertise in the different steps of pre-clinical drug development. This setting provides an opportunity for a unique European training network in which early stage researchers are equipped with a broad knowledge in pre-clinical drug development. Through this network students will gain access to other leading academic research groups, specialized multi-sectoral companies and the most innovative techniques and insights in the complexity of translational medicine to prepare them for future challenges in their career pathway. In this collaboration we will increase the commune expertise on tumour types and technical expertise for target validation. This will improve the implementation of interventions across paediatric cancer and strongly reduce the timeline from bench to the bedside.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • PRINSES MAXIMA CENTRUM VOOR KINDERONCOLOGIE BV · UtrechtCoordinatorNetherlands
  • CHARITE - UNIVERSITAETSMEDIZIN BERLIN · BerlinGermany
  • DEUTSCHES KREBSFORSCHUNGSZENTRUM HEIDELBERG · HeidelbergGermany
  • GADETA BV · UtrechtCity levelNetherlands
  • INSTITUT CURIE · ParisFrance
  • INSTITUTE OF CANCER RESEARCH: THE ROYAL CANCER HOSPITAL LBG · LondonUnited Kingdom
  • ISTITUTO ORTOPEDICO RIZZOLI · BolognaItaly
  • LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN · PlaneggGermany
  • ST ANNA KINDERKREBSFORSCHUNG VEREIN · WienAustria
  • ST. ANNA KINDERKREBSFORSCHUNG GMBH · WienAustria
  • UNIVERSITAT ZURICH · ZurichSwitzerland
  • UNIVERSITEIT GENT · GentBelgium

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union