A bold new Australian-first trial is underway in an attempt to provide fresh hope to children diagnosed with a fatal paediatric brain cancer.
The new research – launched for the first time outside of the United States – will be conducted by doctors at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick (SCH) and will use a child's own immune system to specifically target Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
The process involves CAR-T cells - a type of white blood cell - being taken out of the patient's body in a laboratory, then genetically engineering them to target and attack the deadly cancer.
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The immune cells are then infused back into the child, scanning and destroying the harmful cancer cells.
The trial, called Levi's Catch, is dedicated to the memory of Levi Wheeler, who died at just eight-years-old.
Levi had only just celebrated his seventh birthday when his parents Kathryn and Ben received his diagnosis in 2018.
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Their football-loving little boy's condition was inoperable and he was given a year left to live.
With the support of family and friends, he travelled the world, made new friends, and even carried the match ball at a Real Madrid game in Paris in front of 80,000 fans.
Just a few days after Christmas, Levi slipped away, but his legacy was only the beginning.
To honour his legacy, his parents set up Levi's Project and have since raised an astonishing $4 million, with another $2 million pledged for DIPG research - $600,000 of which will be put towards the new trial.
Levi's Catch is open to children across the country and is a joint effort between the Kids Cancer Centre at SCH, Children's Cancer Institute, Royal Adelaide Hospital and the University of South Australia, with support from the Cancer Institute NSW.
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