Press release of the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ)  

In the presence of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, representatives of the Prinses Máxima Centre in Utrecht, the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) and the Institut Curie in Paris signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation for European pediatric oncology today in The Hague. The “EU CAN KIDS” (European Alliance for a Childhood Without Cancer) alliance concluded between KiTZ and Prinses Máxima Centrum in 2021 will thus be expanded to include a further partner. The alliance's research fund, which is financed with donations of 3 million euros a year, is intended to give a decisive boost to European children's cancer research in order to develop therapies with fewer side effects that are specially tailored to children.

The “Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg” (KiTZ) is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD) and Heidelberg University (Uni HD).

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, the namesake of the Prinses Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht, attended the signing ceremony in the Mauritshuis in The Hague. Her presence underlined the importance of the alliance for children with cancer throughout Europe and her confidence in the successful cooperation between the three centers.

Every year, around 21,000 children and young people in Europe are diagnosed with cancer. More than a fifth of them cannot be cured by the standard therapies currently available and do not survive the disease. For young cancer patients, the long-term effects of cancer treatment are also particularly significant: by 2025, it is estimated that there will be over 500,000 childhood and adolescent cancer survivors in Europe, more than half of whom will suffer from the long-term effects of their treatment.

“Modern cancer therapies with fewer side effects are therefore particularly important for children and adolescents, even if the total number of cases is significantly lower than for adults,” emphasizes Stefan Pfister, Director of the Hopp Children's Cancer Center, Head of Department at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and paediatric oncologist at Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD). He sees an urgent need for action in pediatric oncology and pediatric cancer research: “The cure rates for children and adolescents with cancer have not improved significantly over the past 20 to 30 years, partly because there is no commercial interest in developing new therapies. Academic research is therefore at the forefront and is reliant on networking and shared resources in order to establish modern pediatric oncology across countries so that children throughout Europe have access to new treatment options as quickly as possible.”

At the signing of the alliance in The Hague, 17-year-old Evy's testimonial also highlighted the importance of modern personalized diagnosis and treatment options for young cancer patients. Evy was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 14. After standard therapies no longer worked for her, she was included in a clinical trial and was able to overcome the disease thanks to cellular immunotherapy. She is now an ambassador for “T2evolve”, a Europe-wide initiative that aims to accelerate the development of and access to immunotherapies. She is also a member of the Patient Advisory Board of the Prinses Máxima Center.

The aim of the alliance is, among other things, to develop modern approaches for children with immunotherapies and targeted therapies and to establish patient-specific laboratory models. Tumours of individual patients can thus be characterized in the laboratory and their response to certain active substances tested in advance. Another focus is the expansion of infrastructures and the promotion of top experts in pediatric cancer research. The structures are also intended to facilitate the cross-border use of anonymized patient data and tumour samples for research purposes, for example.

“Since our alliance was founded, we have already been able to get 29 transnational research and infrastructure projects off the ground with a total of 5 million euros, which would have failed due to administrative and financial hurdles without our collaboration,” says René Medema, Scientific Director at the Prinses Máxima Centrum. “Among other things, we are researching new therapeutic approaches for blood cancer in children, the causes of particularly aggressive solid tumors and how the damage caused by cancer therapies in children can be reduced.”

Cancer in children is comparatively rare, and only through Europe-wide networking can sufficient patients be identified for clinical trials in order to develop new treatments, emphasize the representatives of the three top paediatric oncology centers.

The fact that the French Institut Curie is now the third center of excellence to join the “EU CAN KIDS” alliance is a decisive step towards creating a better framework for European pediatric oncology, emphasizes Olivier Delattre, Director of the SIREDO Children's Center at the Institut Curie: “As a leading cancer research center and certified Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Institut Curie develops innovative strategies for the research and treatment of childhood cancer. We are delighted to be working together with the Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg and the Prinses Máxima Centrum to create the conditions for pediatric cancer medicine of the future across national borders.”

An image is available for download at
www.kitz-heidelberg.de/fileadmin/media/KiTZ-HD/News/2024/241128_EU-CAN-KIDS-TheHague.png

Caption: 
In the presence of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, three top centers concluded their alliance to give children with cancer in Europe faster access to new cancer therapies. From left: Prof. René Medema (Prinses Máxima Centrum), Prof. Olivier Delattre (Institut Curie) and Prof. Stefan Pfister (Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg University Hospital) with Queen Máxima of the Netherlands at the signing ceremony in The Hague.

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The Hopp Children's Tumor Center Heidelberg (KiTZ)
The “Hopp Children's Tumor Center Heidelberg” (KiTZ) is a pediatric oncology facility of the German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg University Hospital and Heidelberg University. Like the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, which focuses on adult oncology, the KiTZ is based on the US model of the so-called “Comprehensive Cancer Centers” (CCC) in terms of type and structure. The KiTZ is both a therapy and research center for oncological and hematological diseases in children and adolescents. Its aim is to scientifically investigate the biology of childhood cancer and severe blood disorders and to closely link promising research approaches with patient care - from diagnosis and treatment through to aftercare. Children with cancer, especially those for whom no established treatment options are available, receive an individual treatment plan at the KiTZ, which experts from various disciplines draw up together in tumor conferences. Many young patients can take part in clinical trials and thus gain access to new treatment options. The KiTZ thus serves as a role model in transferring research findings from the laboratory to the clinic.

German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)
With more than 3,000 employees, the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is Germany’s largest biomedical research institute. DKFZ scientists identify cancer risk factors, investigate how cancer progresses and develop new cancer prevention strategies. They are also developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to questions relating to cancer.

To transfer promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improve the prognosis of cancer patients, the DKFZ cooperates with excellent research institutions and university hospitals throughout Germany:

• National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT, 6 sites)  
• German Cancer Consortium (DKTK, 8 sites) 
• Hopp Children's Cancer Center (KiTZ) Heidelberg 
• Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON Mainz) - A Helmholtz Institute of the DKFZ 
• DKFZ-Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim 
• National Cancer Prevention Center (jointly with German Cancer Aid) 

The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.

Heidelberg University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine: Internationally Renowned Patient Care, Research and Teaching
Heidelberg University Hospital (Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, UKHD) is one of the largest and most prestigious medical centers in Germany. The Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University (Medizinische Fakultät Heidelberg, MFHD) belongs to the internationally renowned biomedical research institutions in Europe. Both institutions have the common goal of developing new therapies and implementing them rapidly for patients. Heidelberg University Hospital and the Medical Faculty of Heidelberg University employs around 14.500 employees and is committed to providing trainings and qualifications. Every year, around 86,000 patients and more than 1.100.000 outpatient cases are treated in more than 50 clinical departments with almost 2.500 beds.

Together with the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and the German Cancer Aid, the UKHD established the first National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg. The goal is to provide care at the highest level as an oncology center of excellence and to rapidly transfer promising approaches from cancer research to the hospital. In addition, the UKHD operates in partnership with the DKFZ and the University of Heidelberg the Hopp Children’s Cancer center Heidelberg (KiTZ), a unique and nationally known therapy and research center for oncological and hematological diseases in children and adolescents.

The Heidelberg Curriculum Medicinale (HeiCuMed) is one of the top medical training programs in Germany. Currently, there are about 4.000 future physicians studying in Heidelberg.

Contact for the press:

Dr. Alexandra Moosmann
Leitung Kommunikation KiTZ
Hopp-Kindertumorzentrum Heidelberg (KiTZ)
Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3
69120 Heidelberg
T: +49 (0) 6221 56 36434
E-Mail: a.moosmann(at)kitz-heidelberg.de 
E-Mail: presse(at)kitz-heidelberg.de 
www.kitz-heidelberg.de

Dr. Sibylle Kohlstädt
Strategische Kommunikation und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Pressesprecherin 
Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum 
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280 
69120 Heidelberg 
T: +49 6221 42 2843 
F: +49 6221 42 2968 
E-Mail: S.Kohlstaedt(at)dkfz.de
E-Mail: presse(at)dkfz.de
www.dkfz.de

Dr. Stefanie Seltmann
Leiterin Unternehmenskommunikation & Pressesprecherin 
Universitätsklinikum und Medizinische Fakultät Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 672
69120 Heidelberg
T: +49 6221 56-7071 
F: +49 6221 56-4544
E-Mail: presse(at)med.uni-heidelberg.de 
www.klinikum.uni-heidelberg.de