Oxford and Little Princess Trust launch cancer drive

The funding supports a collaboration between the University of Oxford and The Little Princess Trust, the UK’s second largest funder of childhood cancer research.

It will expand the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre’s rare paediatric cancer programme.

Professor Isidro Cortés-Ciriano, an expert in computational cancer genomics, has been appointed the first Little Princess Trust Professor of Paediatric Oncology.

Wendy Tarplee-Morris, MBE, co-founder of The Little Princess Trust, said: "Every child diagnosed with cancer deserves better treatment options and the best possible future.

"Having funded more than 165 childhood cancer research projects, The Little Princess Trust is proud to support this exciting partnership and Professor Cortés-Ciriano's appointment.

"By benefitting from access to world-class cancer research in Oxford and drug development expertise at the Harrington Discovery Institute in the US, the newly appointed Chair of Paediatric Oncology will accelerate the discovery of new medicines for children and families who urgently them."

Professor Cortés-Ciriano will lead a new childhood cancer research programme within the University of Oxford’s Department of Paediatrics, combining expertise in cancer biology, genomics, and therapeutic development with drug development experience in Cleveland, Ohio.

Childhood cancer remains a leading cause of disease-related death globally, with around 20,000 cases diagnosed annually in the UK and US.

While outcomes have improved for some cancers, children with aggressive or relapsed forms still face limited options.

Professor Cortés-Ciriano previously worked at EMBL-EBI in Cambridge, focusing on using genomics, computational biology, and artificial intelligence to understand cancer development.