30 June 2025

This Brain Cancer Awareness Month, we would love to introduce you to CoACT: Brain Cancer (the Consortium for Australian Children’s Trials in Brain Cancer).

Backed by a $14 million Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant, CoACT brings together specialists, researchers, hospitals, families and global partners to build an alliance to accelerate breakthroughs in childhood brain cancer treatment.

Led by ANZCHOG, the funding will:

• Expand clinical trials so more Australian children and young adults can access potentially life‑saving therapies
• Fast‑track discoveries from the lab into early‑phase trials
• Harness next-generation technologies, like genetic profiling, immunotherapy and personalised medicine, to target tumours more precisely
• Improve survivorship by integrating long‑term health and quality‑of‑life (QoL) measures into every study
• Increase access using tele‑trials and digital tools to reach children and young people in rural and remote areas

Read on to learn about the five core themes of CoACT: Brain Cancer, and how this consortium will transform research, trials and care!

Theme 1: Pre-Clinical Research Network

Let’s kick things off with the Pre‑Clinical Research Network. Paediatric brain tumours are incredibly diverse at the molecular level, and therapies need to match that complexity. Pre-clinical models are crucial for understanding disease mechanisms and validating therapies before clinical trials.

CoACT’s Pre-Clinical Research Network is designed to deliver robust, disease-representative models and streamline the path from lab discoveries to clinical trials. The Network’s sub-themes are:

1. Expanding the range of lab models to cover all childhood brain cancer types

• Using patient donated tumour samples to develop cell culture, organoid and advanced models which can be used for developing new treatment options
• Profiling these new models through the ZERO Childhood Cancer Program to ensure each model mirrors the original donated tumour

2. Developing more realistic preclinical models

• Develop new models which mimic the natural environment of paediatric brain including the immune environment which is now understood to be so important in cancer treatment and outcome

3. National hub for preclinical treatment evaluations

• The network will also serve as a national hub for preclinical screening of novel treatment combinations for DIPG/DMG and other rare brain cancers. and achieve national consensus on the most effective and least toxic proposed therapies for clinical translation.

Better, disease‑representative models mean stronger evidence for which therapies should move into clinical trials. By uniting advanced models, data pipelines and collaborative infrastructure, CoACT’s Pre‑Clinical Research Network will sharpen our focus on the therapies most likely to improve outcomes for children.

Theme 2 – Clinical Trials Platform

This is where research meets real‑world impact. Building on the success of the existing cooperative childhood cancer clinical trial framework established by ANZCHOG, the Australian Paediatric Brain Cancer Clinical Trials Platform will encompass both international and Australian-led programs of Investigator-Initiated Trials. By centralising trial operations through ANZCHOG’s National Trials Centre, we’ll streamline everything from project management to health‑economics review and consumer input.

Key elements:

• Continuing international collaborations with expert childhood brain cancer research groups, including PNOC, CONNECT, ITCC, SickKids, KiTZ, St Jude’s, alongside launching Australia‑led early‑phase trials
• Embedding tele‑trial partnerships so Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) participants can join studies at specialist adult‑care sites
• Ensuring consumer review at every stage to keep patient and family perspectives front and centre

This platform lays the groundwork for smoother, more efficient trials, bringing new treatments to children and young people sooner.

Theme 3: Data‑driven Clinical Innovation

CoACT will harness secure data integration to enhance clinical decision-making and trial efficiency.

Highlights include:

• Piloting automated extraction of de‑identified Electronic Medical Records (EMR) data into a secure BioGrid cloud platform to facilitate faster collection and sharing of clinical and molecular tumour information
• Expanding the Cancer Information Registry for Children and Adolescents in Australia (CIRCAA) and Secured Access to Innovative Medicines (SACHA‑International) studies to capture information about the incidence, enrolment, treatment exposures and outcomes for children with brain cancers
• Integrating genomic, clinical and imaging datasets to support adaptive trial designs and health technology assessments

These innovations will enhance trial design and ensure that every clinical decision is grounded in comprehensive, high-quality, secure data, ultimately delivering more effective treatments to children and young people with brain cancer.

Theme 4: Equity and Access

Everyone deserves safe and supported access to the most promising treatments, regardless of where they live or their background.

Despite all the best efforts, geographical distance, cultural and language differences, socioeconomic status and other challenges create inequities in clinical trial access. CoACT: Brain Cancer is committed to solutions that ensure broad and inclusive participation in paediatric brain cancer research, especially for priority populations (CALD, First Nations people, AYA).

We’re focusing on:

• Scaling tele‑trial standard operating procedures and partnering with the Cooperative Trials Group for Neuro-Oncology (COGNO) to reach adolescents and young adults (AYA) across Australia.
• Joining a Priority Setting Partnership with Queensland University of Technology and the James Lind Alliance to understand the research questions important to First Nations, CALD and underserved communities
• Working with the team behind the BT Online support platform to develop a co‑designed digital hub for tailored information and support about childhood brain cancers

These initiatives will enhance participation and improve access to innovative treatments for children and young people with brain cancer, no matter where they live or their personal circumstances.

Theme 5: Quality of Life and Survivorship

Survival is only one part of the journey. Understanding the psychosocial and neurocognitive impacts of treatments for brain cancer are critical inclusions to most paediatric brain cancer trials. A focus on these and other Quality of Life (QoL) assessments in trials is vital to improving well-being and survivorship outcomes in the short and long term.

CoACT will:

• Evaluate patient‑reported outcomes (PROMs) and experience measures (PREMs) utilisation across clinical trials with the aim to harmonise data collection. 
• Establish a mobile neuropsychology team and digital assessment tools to complete cognitive and quality of life assessments across sites. 
• Ensure patient voices drive continuous improvements in care pathways and policy.

A new era for treatment in Australia

From sophisticated lab models to real-world data integration, equity initiatives and survivorship strategies, this program represents a comprehensive, national effort to change the future of childhood brain cancer care. We look forward to translating these innovations into real benefits for patients and families and to sharing our progress with you in the months and years ahead.