Current research projects
These projects are currently being funded by CHECT.
For past research please have a look at our previous projects.
1.
Co-production of a novel psychoeducation intervention for young people who have had Retinoblastoma
Project leader: Professor Bob Phillips
Award: £37,130.01
Duration: One year
Summary
The aim of this research is to develop, with support from teenage and young adult survivors of retinoblastoma (Rb), an intervention to improve psychological and social wellbeing in young survivors of Rb. We believe that this will be helpful in improving how young people think and feel and will help us to plan a feasibility study (a small-scale version of a full study) to test how effective this intervention is, before implementing this into routine clinical practice.
This research builds upon a portfolio of work in the form of a PhD funded by CHECT “Developing an evidence-based psycho-educational intervention for teenagers and young adults who have had retinoblastoma.”
Status: Began February 2026
2.
Prognostic stratification and early detection of relapsed retinoblastoma using aqueous humor based cfDNA screening
Project leader: Professor Yellapantula
Award: £50,000
Duration: One year
Summary
Cancers shed DNA fragments, called cell-free DNA (cfDNA), into bodily fluids which facilitates detection of genomic alterations driving tumor growth. Using aqueous humor (AH), a watery fluid that fills the eye, collected during treatment, we will evaluate:
1) if serial monitoring of cfDNA can inform intraocular relapse of retinoblastoma earlier than clinical findings based screening methods currently used.
2) if cfDNA prevalance at the end of treatment can inform prognosis of retinoblastoma.
3) the genomic and clinical features that differentiate low and high-risk of relapse.
Status: Began July 2024
3.
A retinal organoid platform for retinoblastoma drug development
Project leader: Professor Seigel
Award: £50,000
Duration: Two years
Summary
One challenge in developing new treatments for retinoblastoma is to preserve vision by ensuring that retinoblastoma tumour cells are killed without damaging surrounding normal retina. For this project, we have a new approach for testing promising retinoblastoma drugs. We can coax adult human stem cells to represent normal retinal tissue in a plastic dish (a “retina-in-a-dish”). If we add human retinoblastoma tumour cells to this same dish, we can disrupt the retina, like an retinoblastoma tumour might do in the human eye. This mixture of retinoblastoma tumour cells with the retina-in-a-dish lets us use human cells to see whether our new drug treatments will kill retinoblastoma cells specifically without harming nearby retinal cells. This new method will be very useful for testing retinoblastoma treatments that we have developed with previous support from CHECT.
Status: Began July 2023
4.
Eloise Patterson Project
Project leader: Dr Zerrin Onadim
Award: Phase I £24,800; Phase II 24,978.39
Duration: Phase I one year, Nov 2015; Phase II one year December 2020
Summary
Records held at the Royal London Hospital will be studied alongside those from the Childhood Cancer Research Group to investigate the way in which risk of tumours occurring in later life depends on different genetic mutations associated with heritable retinoblastoma, on the treatment (radiotherapy, chemotherapy) used in treating retinoblastoma, and to calculate statistical estimates of these risks.
It is hoped this will lead to clinicians and geneticists having better information available to them when assessing the risks of second tumours occurring. This could potentially lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of these second cancers.
Status: Phase II commenced December 2020
5.
Non-invasive cancer-test development for the Rb-patient and Rb-survivor community
Project leader: Professor Annette Moll
Award: £25,000
Duration: One year (part of a three-year project)
Summary
In contrast to many other tumour types, the care of retinoblastoma patients is still mainly based on clinical information, rather than the molecular characteristics of the tumours. This can limit personalised treatment. People who inherit retinoblastoma also have a high risk of developing other serious cancers later in life, but there is currently no reliable way to monitor for these. New blood tests, known as liquid biopsies, could help by detecting cancer‑related changes early. To make this possible, we need to identify the most important DNA markers linked to these cancers. This project will analyse existing and new patient data using modern lab techniques and computer‑based analysis, with the aim of improving early detection, monitoring, and personalised care for retinoblastoma patients and survivors.
Status: Began January 2026
6.
Decoding tumor seeding in retinoblastoma: the genomic clues from aqueous humor liquid biopsy
Project leader: Professor Xu
Award: £25,000
Duration: Two years
Summary
A major problem in treating retinoblastoma occurs when small pieces of the tumour break off and spread inside the eye. These pieces, called tumour seeds, can look and behave differently and often respond poorly to treatment. In particular, seeds floating in the centre of the eye are hard to treat and may lead to removal of the eye. Very little is known about why these seeds form or why treatment sometimes fails, because removing tumour tissue is unsafe. This project will use fluid from the front of the eye, which safely contains tumour DNA. By studying this DNA, we aim to understand the differences between tumour seeds and develop markers that help guide treatment and improve outcomes for children.
Status: Began April 2026