Voices for paediatric progress: Cesare Spadoni
With Discovery & Development Europe 2025 approaching, the biotech and R&D communities are gearing up for an energising event in Basel, Switzerland that will gather more than 1,000 industry leaders from across the globe. C-Further is excited to be hosting a panel at the meeting titled, “Addressing Systematic Challenges Across Childhood Cancer,” which will be held on 24 June at 8-9:30AM CEST.
Addressing systematic challenges across paediatric cancer
The panel will explore emerging models to address market failure in the discovery and development of tailored and well-tolerated therapeutics for childhood cancers. Featuring panelists from pharma, biotech, venture capital, non-profit and academia, the cross-functional discussion will highlight how innovative public-private-philanthropic partnership models are essential in the collective effort to advance more effective, targeted medicines for children and young people with cancer.
In advance of the conversation, we sat down with panelist Cesare Spadoni, PhD to discuss his career in cancer R&D, challenges facing childhood cancer drug development and his vision for collaboration between industry and academia. An edited Q&A is below.
What led you to a career in cancer research?
I am a PhD scientist with a background in molecular and cellular biology, and I have been working in drug development for 30 years. I started out as a drug discovery scientist in the neuroscience field and later worked as a business development professional in various positions within the industry. I came to the world of paediatric oncology for personal reasons. In 2006 my first daughter, Laura, died of cancer. This was the event that led to the decision to utilise my drug development expertise to accelerate the development of better treatments for children with cancer. I founded aPODD, a London-based foundation, which is a medical charity currently focused on drug repurposing for childhood cancer. Later, I co-founded Oncoheroes Biosciences Inc., a Boston-based biotech company exclusively dedicated to paediatric oncology drug development.
We can save more children by facilitating access to new therapies.
What do you see as some of the most pressing challenges facing childhood cancer research and development?
We have seen a tremendous improvement in cure rates but for some patients, we have not seen any improvement in survival over the past few decades. While there's a lot of basic and academic research being carried out, this does not translate into new treatments for kids because there is a lack of financial incentives and there are hardly any biotech or pharma companies actively pursuing paediatric oncology drug development. We need to focus our efforts on accelerating drug development efforts using the resources we have available at the moment – whether it’s drug repurposing of existing oncology compounds, those that are already approved for adults, those still in development or those that have been discontinued. Within this large pool we may have interesting assets for kids.
Your career spans both industry and academia, how do you see these two sectors working together to advance potential therapies for children living with cancer?
Traditionally, industry has not been focused on paediatric oncology drug development. Clinical development has historically been carried out by academia, and the two have been working in silos. There is now an ever-increasing dialogue between industry and academia for paediatric oncology. The right model is based on a partnership between industry and academia. An example of this is the model of "fit-for-filing" clinical trials. These are academic trials that have been "upgraded" in collaboration with industry, to make the data suitable for regulatory submissions. This is an example of how industry could use academic expertise and infrastructure to advance paediatric oncology drug development, in a timely and cost-effective manner.
What makes you passionate about this area of research and development?
It's really about the opportunity to make an impact on patients' outcomes. We can save more children by facilitating access to new therapies.
What are common misconceptions about this area of research?
The general misconception within the industry is that paediatric drug development is challenging, costly and it's difficult to recruit patients. In reality, it is not more challenging or risky than any other drug development project. It is normally less costly because you have the opportunity to run smaller trials and would be eligible for accelerated approval. Additionally, patient recruitment is very high in paediatric oncology, with as many as 50% of patients being involved in some sort of clinical trial as opposed to roughly 3% for adults.
Are there specific topics or passion projects that you would like to highlight?
Right now, I am very much focused on Oncoheroes and aPODD. I am also working on a proposal for better financial incentives to support drug development for rare paediatric diseases.
Do you have any personal stories you'd be willing to share with us about patients or others that have perhaps inspired your work?
You can read more about my personal journey in childhood cancer R&D and my motivation behind founding Oncoheroes and aPODD, here.