Discovering novel therapies for childhood sarcoma

Sarcomas are a diverse group of malignant tumours arising from soft tissue or bone. While they constitute a small percentage of adult cancers, they are notably more prevalent in children and young adults, accounting for approximately 15% of cancers in this population. Surgery and radiotherapy remain the mainstay treatments; however, prognosis remains poor for certain subtypes, particularly those near critical structures like the central nervous system (CNS). Chemotherapy responses vary widely across sarcoma subtypes, highlighting the pressing need for more effective and targeted therapies. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) represent a promising class of precision therapies, designed to selectively deliver cytotoxic agents to tumour cells that express specific surface antigens. ADCs offer several advantages over traditional therapies, including enhanced accumulation in tumour cells, reduced off-target toxicity, and improved drug stability. A CD248-targeted ADC, ADCE-D01, recently entered FDA-approved phase I/II trials for metastatic and unresectable soft tissue sarcoma, underscoring the therapeutic potential of this approach. This project aims to exploit surface antigens in soft tissue and bone sarcomas by developing novel ADCs against high-priority targets.