Sharing the Story Behind a World-First Brain Cancer Vaccine Trial for Children

For more than a decade, we’ve had the privilege of supporting the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation as they work to change the odds for children with brain cancer.

Born from unimaginable loss, the foundation has become a driving force in brain cancer research, advocacy and awareness.

“Our son Connor passed away in 2013 from an ependymoma brain tumour at the age of 18. When we established the Foundation in his name, we made a conscious decision to focus our efforts on improving the dire outcomes faced by young people with brain cancer,” says founder Liz Dawes.

We’ve stood beside Liz and her team as they pushed for progress, which will take a major step forward this year. 

A world-first clinical trial will begin in eight Australian hospitals, testing personalised mRNA vaccines for children with untreatable brain tumours. It’s the result of years of work by researchers, families and community advocates, for which RCD has provided relentless support. 

Liz Dawes with her son Connor

“Over the past 12 years, we have worked closely with key researchers in Australia and globally on making their most promising research a reality. This clinical trial is a wonderful result of our efforts.”

The trial is co-led by The University of Queensland and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), and is sponsored nationally by ANZCHOG. It is also supported by the Children’s Cancer Foundation and the Marcus Rosin Fund, which have helped make this trial possible.

We’re proud to play a small role in helping share this story, and prouder still to support a foundation that never stops fighting for better.

To learn more about the important work that RCD Foundation does, visit https://www.rcdfoundation.org/.