Archive · 29 Nov 2025
New Drug Combats Childhood Cancer Resistance
Scientists in Australia found a new way to help kids with a serious cancer called neuroblastoma.
This cancer is really hard to treat when it comes back, and most kids don't survive.
The researchers discovered that a drug called romidepsin, which is already used for another cancer, can help.
When they combined it with regular chemo, it worked better and made the tumors smaller.
This could mean kids might need less chemo, which would be better for them.
But before this can be used in hospitals, more tests need to be done to make sure it's safe and works well for this cancer.
Researchers found romidepsin can bypass resistance in relapsed neuroblastoma.
The drug combination reduced tumor growth and extended survival in animal models.
Romidepsin triggers alternative cell-death pathways, bypassing the blocked JNK pathway.
The combo allowed lower chemo doses, potentially reducing side effects for children.
Further clinical trials are needed to establish safety and efficacy in neuroblastoma.
- Who
- Researchers at Australia's Garvan Institute of Medical Research
- What
- Discovered a drug combination to bypass treatment resistance in relapsed neuroblastoma
- When
- Not specified (recent discovery)
- Where
- Australia
- Why
- To improve treatment outcomes for children with relapsed neuroblastoma
- Disease
- Neuroblastoma
- Drug
- Romidepsin
- Research Institute
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research
- Study Publication
- Science Advances
- Current Survival Rate
- 10% for relapsed cases
- Drug Status
- Approved for lymphoma, tested in children