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The ALARM3 protocol (NCT05772559) is a research project aimed at gaining a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in relapse and resistance in pediatric acute leukemia (AML).

This project is focused on relapse and will include: 1\ Genomic characterization at initial diagnosis and relapse of AML cells and mesenchymal stem cells, 2\ Evolution of drug sensitivity between initial diagnosis and relapse by ex vivo drug testing, which will include CPX-351, 3\ Identification of a new prognostic marker capable of better identifying patients most at risk of relapse.

This protocol is currently being rolled out in the 29 pediatric hematology centers affiliated to  SFCE.

For further information, a summary is available on the U-LINK website

This project is funded by the Fight Kids Cancer collective, Imagine For Margo, Enfants Cancer Santé, SIRIC CURAMUS and ARHME.

In 2019, several members of CONECT-AML contributed to the production of this special issue focusing on “Pediatric leukemia”. It was published in the journal “Médecine therapeutique Pratique Pédiatrie“.

Several topics are covered and accessible in French via the links below, directly on the publisher’s website. English abstract is available at the beginning of each article.

• Presentation of the project : La recherche intégrée en hématologie pédiatrique : enjeux, spécificités de l’enfant et mise en œuvre. Exemple du projet CONECT-AML
• Update on pediatric AML : Leucémies aigues myéloïdes pédiatriques (LAM)
• Nouvelles thérapeutiques dans les leucémies aiguës de l’enfant et de l’adolescent
• L’allogreffe pour leucémie aiguë dans la population pédiatrique
• Le suivi à long terme après traitement d’une leucémie aiguë de l’enfant
• Prédispositions aux leucémies de l’enfant
• Témoignage : “Un engagement de 25 ans en cancérologie pédiatrique : réflexions sur la recherche clinique”
• Edito “Leucémies pédiatriques en 2019 : des progrès majeurs, mais restons mobilisés pour continuer à avancer !”
• Leucémies aigues lymphoblastiques de l’enfant (LAL)
• Leucémies myéloïdes chroniques de l’enfant (LMC)
• La leucémie aiguë lymphoblastique au quotidien : coordination

15th of February is International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD). 2021 is the 20th edition of this initiative led by the Childhood Cancer International association group.

CONECT-AML supports the International Childhood Cancer Day.

New work led by Thomas Mercher, research director of the “Genetics and modeling of childhood leukemia, CONECT-AML team 7” team within unit 1170 “Normal and pathological hematopoiesis” Inserm / Gustave Roussy / Université Paris-Sud-Paris Saclay, in collaboration with Jürg Schwaller UKBB, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, were the subject of a press release from INSERM.

Thomas Mercher and his team bring new knowledge to better understand why some form of acute megacaryoblast leukemia (AndML7) develop in young children. These discoveries are a source of hope and open the way for the discovery of new treatments.

You can read the INSERM press release here

You can also consult the scientific article in question, published in the journal Cancer Discovery in our section «our works/ Ontogenic changes in hematopoietic hierarchy determine pediatric specificity and disease phenotype in fusion oncogene-driven myeloid leukemia »

This project, supported by CONECT-AML, has been selected for obtaining funding from INCa (Appel à projet Partage de données INCa 2019).

• DOREMy will constitute the “Harmonized clinical and biological database for an integrated research in the management of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia”.·
• Aims : The DOREMy project aims to integrate all clinical data into a single database, integrate research data from CONECT AML, adapt these data to the OSIRIS set as well as to the international pediatric AML database, PedAL, identify all leukemia samples or derived products from the ELAM02 biobank and create a virtual tumor bank of samples stored by CONECT AML research teams. Data structuring work should allow interactions with national and international databases. The pooling of data will make it possible to better characterize subgroups of rare high-risk patients; identify new therapeutic targets; decrease the relapse rate and improve the survival of pediatric AML, promote the sharing of data and samples for collaborative work.

Fight Kids Cancer is a European association consortium which launched a call for projects at the end of 2019 to support research in the field of childhood cancer.Twenty-three research projects were submitted by various European researchers between mid-January and the end of April 2020. Six projects, particularly innovative and promising, were selected, including the one submitted by the CONECT-AML research teams.

ALARM 3 is a translational research project on pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which has a relapse rate of 35-45% with only 38% 4-year survival after relapse. It aims to compare the molecular profile of pediatric AML at diagnosis and relapse. By identifying new biological markers, the aim is to better identify the AMLs at greatest risk for relapse and to better understand the mechanism of resistance to treatment. The hope of this research is to achieve the integration of new targeted therapies as early as possible in treatment to reduce the risk of relapse. By reducing the risk of relapse, the indications for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation could decrease, making it possible to reduce the long-term sequelae of this treatment and thus improve the quality of life of cured patients. 

To support the project, you can participate at the run “Enfant sans cancer“. For more information, visit the run website by clicking here

English, Australian, Swiss and French pediatricians, researchers from the CONECT-AML network and parents, met in Paris on September 19 and 20, 2019, on the Jussieu campus of Sorbonne University in Paris.

The objective of this meeting was to identify possible synergies and collaborations, between clinicians and researchers, caring children and adolescents with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in these different countries. CONECT-AML researchers and clinicians are pursuing together, alongside families and associations, their research to better understand AML in children.

The next CONECT-AML meeting will take place in March 2020.