Scientist thanks The Little Princess Trust for our support

Dr Anestis Tsakiridis was one of the first researchers to receive funding when we began supporting scientists one decade ago. As we mark 10 years of funding paediatric cancer research, he explains how our grant allowed him to study childhood brain tumours with the aim of finding new treatments. 

What did that research funding mean for your career?

Receiving this grant was a real turning point in my career. I had just started my own independent research group at the University of Sheffield, and the Little Princess Trust award was one of the very first grants I received.
At such an important stage, it gave me the confidence and support to establish my research program and pursue ambitious new ideas.
It also influenced the direction of my research, inspiring me to focus on understanding childhood cancers and how they begin, with the long-term goal of developing better treatments for young patients.

Has it made an impact for patients, or inspired any further research?

Although this was an early-stage pilot project, it provided the foundation for an entirely new area of research in my laboratory.
The findings opened up exciting new questions that we have continued to explore over the past decade. That initial support has helped us build a much larger research program focused on neuroblastoma, bringing together experts from different fields and attracting further funding to continue this important work.

Has it led to any discoveries about the origins of childhood brain tumours?

While the original project did not lead to major advances in childhood brain tumour research, it unexpectedly opened the door to an exciting new direction.
We developed a way to grow, in the laboratory, the very early cells that can give rise to neuroblastoma, one of the most common solid cancers in children.
This has allowed us to investigate how healthy embryonic cells can become cancerous and has led to important discoveries about the earliest stages of the disease.
Today, this laboratory model is helping us identify new opportunities for developing and testing future treatments, bringing us closer to more targeted therapies for children with neuroblastoma.

A great example of how supporting early-stage research can create lasting impact

Do you have any words for the Little Princess Trust about what their funding means to you?

I will always be grateful to The Little Princess Trust for believing in my research at such an early stage of my career.
The support gave me the opportunity to establish an independent research program that has grown far beyond the original project.
Over the past 10 years, that initial investment has helped generate new discoveries, attract further funding, and build collaborations that continue to advance our understanding of childhood cancer.
It is a great example of how supporting early-stage research can create lasting impact and I hope our work will ultimately contribute to better treatments for children affected by this devastating disease.