Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Appoints First Little Princess Trust Professor of Paediatric Oncology to Accelerate Rare Childhood Cancer Drug Discovery
核心洞察
The University of Oxford and The Little Princess Trust (搜索) have established a £5.25 million partnership to expand rare paediatric cancer research at the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (搜索).
Professor Isidro Cortés-Ciriano has been appointed the first Little Princess Trust Professor of Paediatric Oncology to lead a new childhood cancer (搜索) research programme within Oxford's Department of Paediatrics.
Professor Cortés-Ciriano will provide scientific leadership for the OHC Cancer Theme, integrating computational cancer genomics, AI, and drug development expertise across Oxford and Cleveland.
The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (搜索) (OHC) has announced a major expansion of its rare paediatric cancer programme, backed by a £5.25 million partnership between the University of Oxford and The Little Princess Trust (搜索), the second largest funder of childhood cancer (搜索) research in the UK. Central to this initiative is the appointment of Professor Isidro Cortés-Ciriano as the first Little Princess Trust Professor of Paediatric Oncology, a role that will see him lead a new childhood cancer research programme within Oxford's Department of Paediatrics and provide scientific leadership for the OHC's Cancer Theme.
The announcement, made on 1st July 2026, underscores a transatlantic effort to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and clinical translation for children with rare cancers. The OHC, a partnership between the University of Oxford and the Harrington Discovery Institute (搜索) at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, is dedicated to creating new medicines for rare diseases.
Professor Cortés-Ciriano joins from EMBL-EBI in Cambridge, UK, where his research combined cancer genomics, computational biology, and artificial intelligence to better understand how cancers develop and to identify new therapeutic opportunities. His appointment reflects the OHC's commitment to harnessing cutting-edge technologies to advance precision medicine and improve patient outcomes.
"Children with cancer deserve more effective, less toxic treatment options and better outcomes," said Professor Cortés-Ciriano. "What excites me the most about this opportunity is the ability to bring together expertise across cancer biology, data science, drug development and clinical research to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into novel therapies that can make a meaningful difference for patients and families."
Addressing a Persistent Unmet Need
Childhood cancer (搜索) remains a leading cause of disease-related death in children worldwide, with around 20,000 children and young people diagnosed each year in the UK and the US. While outcomes have improved significantly for some cancers, many children with aggressive or relapsed disease continue to face limited treatment options.
Wendy Tarplee-Morris, MBE, Co-founder of The Little Princess Trust (搜索), emphasised the urgency of the mission: "Every child diagnosed with cancer deserves better treatment options and the best possible future. Having funded more than 165 childhood cancer (搜索) research projects, The Little Princess Trust is proud to support this exciting partnership and Professor Cortés-Ciriano's appointment."
Bridging Oxford and Cleveland
The new professorship is designed to connect Oxford's world-leading expertise in cancer biology, genomics, therapeutic development, and clinical translation with proven oncology drug development capabilities in Cleveland. Key US-based partners include the Harrington Discovery Institute (搜索) at University Hospitals, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, and University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.
Professor Matthew Wood, Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the OHC, said: "Childhood cancers present some of the most difficult challenges in medicine requiring specialist expertise, innovative science and long-term commitment. This support allows us to do exactly that. Isidro's appointment provides outstanding scientific leadership and will help connect the extensive capabilities available across Oxford and Cleveland to accelerate the discovery and development of better treatments for children with cancer."
Matthew Anderson, MD, PhD, Co-Director of the OHC and Investigator at the Harrington Discovery Institute (搜索), added: "Too many children with cancer still face limited treatment options. Closing that gap requires not only discovery, but the ability to translate science into medicines. This gift strengthens our Cancer Theme and the Centre's translational capabilities, which already supports pioneering research in brain tumours, Hodgkin lymphoma, blood and eye cancers, with the aim of advancing new therapies to patients more quickly."
A Growing Research Footprint
Since launching its research programme in 2016, The Little Princess Trust (搜索) has funded 165 research projects across all childhood cancers as part of its vision to give "Hair and Hope" to every young person with cancer. The charity also provides free real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their hair through cancer treatment or other conditions.
The Harrington Discovery Institute (搜索), created in 2012 with a $50 million founding gift from the Harrington family, has supported more than 200 scientists throughout the US, UK, and Canada. Its innovation model surrounds scientists with drug development and business expertise, employing both philanthropic funding and catalytic investment capital to advance projects into the clinic and through commercialisation.