Value proposition

Giving clinicians the tools and knowledge to create individualized treatment plans for their paediatric cancer patients.

Cancer in children is rare but when it happens, clinician prescribed treatment options are not always as clear as one would hope. In fact, on average, only a quarter of oncology patients respond to the drug therapy they receive. There are many reasons for this but evidence shows that a personalized treatment plan or treatment that is based on the patient's fundamental biology could significantly enhance treatment outcomes. As it turns out, the personalized treatment plan can be as complex as the cancer itself but there is hope.
A scientific consortium has recently kicked off a European Commission funded research project entitled iPC (individualizedPaediatricCure). In this robust endeavor, 21 partners from eleven different countries, including nine European Union Member States (Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia), along with the USA and Australia will work together with the goal of giving clinicians the tools and knowledge to create individualized treatment plans to their patients, namely children with cancer.
The goal of the iPC project is to collect, standardize and harmonize existing clinical knowledge and medical data and, with the help of artificial intelligence, create treatment models for patients. Armed with these treatment models, scientists will then test them on virtual patients to evaluate treatment efficacy and toxicity, thus improving both patient survival and their quality of life.
While the ever-present complexities of cancer continue to challenge our scientific community, it is reassuring that European projects like iPC are using the latest technology and brightest minds to find solutions which, in turn, usher in better patient care.

The iPC project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 826121