An Australian clinical trial testing personalised cancer vaccines for children with deadly brain tumours has received a further boost, with the Children’s Cancer Foundation and the Marcus Rosin Fund partnering with the Robert Connor Dawes (RCD) Foundation to provide additional funding specifically for children with ependymoma on the clinical trial.
The announcement comes as the PaedNEO-VAX trial moves toward opening later this year following confirmation last week of a $2.578 million investment from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
The world-first Phase I/II study will test personalised mRNA vaccines designed for children and adolescents with advanced or treatment-resistant brain tumours, including ependymoma, medulloblastoma and high-grade gliomas.
Founded in memory of Connor Dawes, the RCD Foundation has supported brain cancer research for more than a decade. Together with the Children’s Cancer Foundation and the Marcus Rosin Fund, this partnership reflects a collective commitment to advancing research that can translate into new clinical options for children with brain cancer.
Liz Dawes OAM, CEO and Founder of the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation, said the trial represented a pivotal moment for paediatric brain cancer research in Australia.
Our son Connor passed away in 2013 from an ependymoma brain tumour at the age of 18. When we established the Foundation in his name, we made a conscious decision to focus our efforts on improving the dire outcomes faced by young people with brain cancer.
Over the past 12 years, we have worked closely with key researchers in Australia and globally on making their most promising research a reality. This clinical trial is a wonderful result of our efforts.
The trial is co-led by The University of Queensland (UQ) and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), and sponsored nationally by the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology and Oncology Group (ANZCHOG). Trial sites will operate across Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.
The PaedNEO-VAX trial builds on years of laboratory research supported by the RCD Foundation, helping advance personalised mRNA cancer vaccine research towards clinical application for children.
Professor Brandon Wainwright, from UQ’s Frazer Institute, said the trial marked a critical step from laboratory discovery to patient care.
After years of research identifying tumour-specific targets and understanding how the immune system responds, this trial allows us to test whether personalised mRNA vaccines can safely train a child’s immune system to recognise and attack their cancer.
Through this new partnership, the Children’s Cancer Foundation, via the Marcus Rosin Fund, will contribute $245,000 to the RCD Foundation to support children with ependymoma enrolled in the trial, ensuring additional resources are directed to a tumour type that has seen limited treatment advances for decades.
The clinical trial is supported by $2.578 million in MRFF funding, alongside an in-kind contribution of approximately $23.9 million from clinical-stage mRNA biotechnology company Providence Therapeutics, which will design and manufacture personalised vaccines for eligible patients. Southern RNA will also support vaccine manufacturing.
The announcement coincides with what would have been Marcus Rosin’s 21st birthday.
Marcus was just four years old when he was diagnosed with an ependymoma. After years of gruelling treatment and a relapse that saw the tumour spread to his spine, Marcus passed away in 2014 at nine years old. Obsessed with superheroes, Marcus’ parents say he was the real superhero, courageous, optimistic and always reassuring others that everything would be okay.
Since losing Marcus, his mum Marisa, dad Fabian and sister Mia have worked to change the odds for other families, founding the Marcus Rosin Fund.
Marisa Rosin said being able to contribute to the trial was both deeply emotional and profoundly meaningful for her family.
“We are incredibly proud and deeply honoured to be part of an Australian-first, cutting-edge clinical trial that is leading the way for children with paediatric brain cancer,” Ms Rosin said.
“Our son Marcus passed away from ependymoma brain cancer 12 years ago. At that time, Marcus had no options available to save or even prolong his life.
“To now be part of this groundbreaking trial as we approach what would have been his 21st birthday is truly heart-warming.
“Our only wish has always been that we could contribute to a clinical trial to help other children with brain cancer, in honour of our beautiful angel. Today, that wish has become a reality.”
We are incredibly proud and deeply honoured to be part of an Australian-first, cutting-edge clinical trial that is leading the way for children with paediatric brain cancer.
Our son Marcus passed away from ependymoma brain cancer 12 years ago. At that time, Marcus had no options available to save or even prolong his life.
To now be part of this groundbreaking trial as we approach what would have been his 21st birthday is truly heart-warming.
Our only wish has always been that we could contribute to a clinical trial to help other children with brain cancer, in honour of our beautiful angel. Today, that wish has become a reality.
Brain cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in Australian children, with limited options for families facing relapse.
By combining federal investment, international industry support, national clinical trial infrastructure and community-driven philanthropy, the PaedNEO-VAX trial represents one of the most significant coordinated efforts to date to improve outcomes for children with brain cancer, and for those diagnosed with ependymoma in particular.
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