Our research priority
Our research priority
Over the last few decades, advances in treatment for some childhood cancers has resulted in improved overall survival rates for children. Some cancers types now have relatively good outcomes, but for other rarer, aggressive cancers, there has been little or no improvement in survival rates.
Many of the treatments that children undergo also can result in long-lasting or devastating side effects meaning that although ‘cured,’ life often remains inextricably changed.
Why do we need research?
Childhood cancer remains the biggest medical cause of death of children in the UK, so there is a lot more that needs to be done. Survival rates will improve by:
• Working to diagnose children earlier
• Increased investment into research for childhood cancers
• Education (of both parents and professionals
Research remains a vital aim of the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust for this reason: we need kinder and more effective treatments for children with cancer. We are working to fund world-class research into rare, aggressive childhood cancers including rhabdoid tumours.
By improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancers with poor prognoses, we are working to improve the survival rates of children with cancer over time.
Our research mission statement:
To inspire breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer, particularly those with rare, aggressive cancers.
Because the children of today all deserve a healthy tomorrow.
Our research priority
Our research priority is to fund projects with clear translatable outcomes that are most likely to lead to an improvement in treatment in the relatively near future.
Our four key research priorities include:
1. Early diagnosis and awareness
2. Patients with poor outcomes from diagnosis
3. Research associated with larger clinical trials e.g. Such
as biomarker studies
4. Rare tumour types
The Trust’s grant funding will be allocated to teams attached to recognised medical or academic institutions and usually within the UK or Ireland. We award funding via our Research Advisory Panel in line with guidance from the AMRC.
The Trust is an accredited member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). Membership is the hallmark of quality research funding. To be accepted into membership, the Trust has had to demonstrate that we follow the AMRC’s rigorous standards in peer review, enabling us to ensure the research we fund is of the highest quality.
The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust supports the AMRC position statement for supporting research in universities. The full AMRC statement can be read here.
The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust position on animal research can be read here.
