This year for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we got to know the sarcoma research team at The Kids. Find out more about each researcher below.
Associate Professor Joost Lesterhuis
Please introduce yourself and your role in the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre
My name is Joost Lesterhuis (pronounced as ‘Yoast Lesterhouse’) and I am Head of the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre within the Perth Children’s Hospital.
What inspired you to become a Sarcoma researcher?
As an oncologist, while treating people with cancer, including (often young) patients with sarcoma, I found that the treatment options we had were not what they should be. They are not effective enough and often come with long-term and severe side effects. I want to do something about that and discover new treatments that are more effective while having less side effects, and for that reason I turned to research full-time.
What’s one thing people may not know about you?
I am one of the three people from The Netherlands who don’t like cheese. Having said that, when I become an Australian citizen, I may be one of the three Australians who’s not a fan of vegemite. I do love honeycomb, rocky road and tim tams though!
What research are you currently working on?
Immune cells can be incredibly powerful against cancer cells, yet specific at the same time; they can recognise and attack cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone. Unfortunately, unlike some other cancers, sarcoma is quite resistant to immunotherapy. We are now investigating how to change this and to make sarcoma sensitive to immunotherapy. We are using the fact that surgery is usually the first treatment in sarcoma. By giving a local treatment during surgery, we aim to activate and attract immune cells, ‘mopping up’ any remaining sarcoma cells. We hope that this will prevent the cancer from returning.
Although this research is driven by our group, it really is a collaboration between many different researchers from several institutes in WA; cancer biologists, paediatric and adolescent oncologists, surgeons, material scientists and vets. The latter may be surprising, but sarcoma is actually also very common in pet dogs, and just like people, they are in urgent need for better treatments. For that reason, we are trying to speed up the development of our treatments by collaborating with veterinary oncologists.
What’s the one thing you want the community to know about Sarcoma research?
Unlike some other cancer types, where many different effective treatments have been introduced in the past years, most people with sarcoma are essentially treated the same way as they would a few decades ago. We need to do better, and we need to get treatments that don’t have long-term side effects, particularly when it comes to children and young people.
What’s your ultimate hope for the research you and your team are doing?
I hope that we will be able to make an important difference in the lives of people with sarcoma and their families by developing better treatments.
Francois Rwandamuriye
Please introduce yourself and your role in the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre.
My name is Francois Rwandamuriye and I am a PhD student in the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre.
What inspired you to become a Sarcoma researcher?
My motivation to pursue a PhD in Sarcoma research stems from a presentation by our head of Sarcoma research, Dr Joost Lesterhuis, about his work in Sarcoma and cancer research in 2018. Following his presentation, I grew a very deep interest in pursuing a career in Sarcoma research. I then applied for a PhD scholarship at the University of Western Australia and subsequently joined the Sarcoma research group at The Kids in Feb 2019.
What’s one thing people may not know about you?
Most people get my age wrong and think I am 10 years younger than my actual age! I am father to my three daughters – 11, 7 and 1 years old.
What research are you currently working on?
My research project aims to tackle one of the key problems in the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma – local cancer relapse after surgical removal of the sarcoma. Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that begins in the connective tissues of the body such as fat, muscle, blood vessels, bone and cartilage. Surgery is the main treatment option for soft tissue sarcomas, usually in combination with chemotherapy, but with a high risk of local relapse and subsequent spread of cancer cells to other parts of the body. Immunotherapy which has shown success in other solid tumours seems to be ineffective in soft tissue sarcomas, as it’s currently used.
My PhD research project aims to develop a local immunotherapy treatment that can be applied during surgery. We hope this therapy will activate local immune cells to safely and effectively prevent cancer relapse.
What’s the one thing you want the community to know about Sarcoma research?
I want the community to know that although sarcomas are rare malignant tumours, they account for up to 20% of solid tumours in children. Treatment is by surgery but with a high risk of relapse. Immunotherapy is currently ineffective. Therefore, there is a need for novel therapies and awareness about sarcoma research and funding.
What’s your ultimate hope for the research you and your team are doing?
I hope that our group’s contribution in sarcoma research and the potential translational application of those research findings will undoubtedly make children’s life better.
Breana Weston
Please introduce yourself and your role in the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre
My name is Breana and I’m an honours student completing a one-year project as part of the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre.
What inspired you to become a Sarcoma researcher?
After seeing the effects cancer has on patients and their families, I knew I wanted to help. After talking with local researchers, I realised that it would be possible to combine my desire to help and my love of science into my own journey to be a cancer researcher.
What’s one thing people may not know about you?
When I am not in the lab I can most likely be found training circus arts. My favourite disciplines are contortion and aerial hoop.
What research are you currently working on?
My project is focused on identifying which immune cells can be found in sarcoma tumours and how they change during the course of treatment.
What’s the one thing you want the community to know about Sarcoma research?
There are over 50 different types of sarcoma! The differences between each type makes it difficult for researchers to find a treatment that would be effective for every patient. Luckily, research has indicated that the immune system may hold the key to overcoming these differences and cure sarcoma.
What’s your ultimate hope for the research you and your team are doing?
Sarcoma is notorious for being resistant to immunotherapies. My ultimate hope for our research is that we can identify exactly why that is, and most importantly, how to overcome this and offer new treatments for people who are diagnosed with sarcoma.
Dr Rachael Zemek
Please introduce yourself and your role in the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre
My name is Rachael Zemek and I am a post-doctoral researcher in the Sarcoma Translational Research Team at the The Kids Cancer Centre.
What inspired you to become a Sarcoma researcher?
I have always been fascinated by the immune system, and it turns out cancers arise from the immune system failing to kill mutant cells. Immune therapies which make your immune system fight cancer are showing great promise. So I got to combine my passion with a cause I care about!
What’s one thing people may not know about you?
I am an avid wakeboarder and snowboarder.
What research are you currently working on?
During my PhD I found a way to make cancer respond better to immune therapies. Sarcoma is a cancer that is very resistant to immune therapy, so I hope to apply my findings to make sarcoma respond to immune therapies.
What’s the one thing you want the community to know about Sarcoma research?
Although a rare cancer, sarcoma can be aggressive, and its surgical treatment can be extensive. We need better treatments so such surgery is not required.
What’s your ultimate hope for the research you and your team are doing?
I hope one day we will not need extensive surgery or chemotherapy to fight cancer, but rather use immune therapies to cure cancer.