Children’s Cancer CoLab: A new era in childhood cancer research

24 March 2025

Childhood cancer doesn’t recognise borders or boundaries – and neither should cancer research. That’s why the Victorian Paediatric Cancer Consortium has rebranded as the Children’s Cancer CoLab so that its impact can extend beyond Victoria and improve outcomes for young cancer patients everywhere.

With 400,000 children diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year, the Children’s Cancer CoLab aims to accelerate research and innovation by uniting world-leading childhood cancer experts across disciplines. The Children’s Cancer CoLab’s vision is for every child with cancer to survive and thrive. 

With a $45 million funding commitment from the Children’s Cancer Foundation and the Victorian Government, the Children’s Cancer CoLab will fund research and innovation that has the potential to deliver real-world transformative outcomes for young cancer patients and their families.

Children’s Cancer CoLab CEO, Dr Udani Reets, said the group aims to establish a strong collaborative community of childhood cancer experts in Victoria and beyond who will benefit from each other’s areas of knowledge and access to shared resources.

“Like pieces of a complex puzzle, each researcher brings unique insights: a promising drug compound from one lab could be combined with a hospital’s clinical protocol, while data analysts may spot patterns clinicians can then translate into an intervention.” 

To determine grant recipients, the Children’s Cancer CoLab will employ a competitive funding model, apply scientific rigour, adopt a peer review process involving two Scientific Advisory Committees comprising national and international cancer experts, and include an independent review from the Patient and Family Advisory Committee. 

Children’s Cancer CoLab CEO, Dr Udani Reets, said five impact programs have been developed to ensure funding spans all aspects of childhood cancer research, from discovery research to interventions that will help young cancer patients live long and healthy lives after their cancer treatment. 

“The Children’s Cancer CoLab is now seeking to fund patient-focused projects that address the areas of greatest need and impact. Most importantly, these projects must be collaborative, as childhood cancer is too significant a problem to address by one institution alone.” 

Children’s Cancer CoLab will also foster future leaders to help Australia attract and retain the brightest minds in paediatric oncology.

The Children’s Cancer Colab research partners are the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Monash Children’s Hospital, Royal Children’s Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Monash University, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. 

Guided by a Board of Directors led by Prof Brendan Murphy AC, the Children’s Cancer CoLab has been established as an independent charity and is now focused on securing its sustainability beyond the five-year funding commitment from the Victorian Government and Children’s Cancer Foundation.