ALADDIN: the new educational program on strategic and regulatory science in paediatric oncology drug development

ACCELERATE and the 11 members of the ALADDIN consortium have launched a new educational program on strategic and regulatory science in paediatric oncology drug development to foster expertise and strengthen true multi-stakeholder collaboration.

There is a need to improve the efficiency of the drug development process and fulfil the unmet needs of children with cancer. A lack of knowledge and understanding of regulatory processes is a major roadblock to children and adolescents accessing new and beneficial drugs. The ALADDIN project offers a comprehensive program for current and future generations of experts to come through a transversal and interactive training course, an online educational platform, a 360º multi-stakeholder rotation and a research fellowship.

Under the umbrella of the Eramus + programme, ACCELERATE has partnered with key multi-stakeholder organizations to address the gap in structured education in regulatory and strategic science that is particularly evident and timely in the current European landscape.

What does ALADDIN have to offer?

Course on Strategic/Regulatory Science in Paediatric Oncology Drug Development

A transversal training course for up to 30 participants per year aimed mainly at clinicians, both in training and established, and potentially pharmacists. Patient advocates with a genuine interest and particular aptitude for the regulatory aspects of drug development are also encouraged to attend. The two-year course will include webinars, Q&A online and offline, a case study, as well as CME accreditation.

360º Multi-stakeholder Rotation

A rotation program at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and/or pharmaceutical industry (Roche or Sanofi) for either clinicians who are in training or already established investigators who are designing clinical trials. There will be between 6 to 8 participants per year with rotations of 3 to 6 months and the format will be hybrid with both in situ and virtual attendance.

Research Fellowship

A paediatric oncologist or pharmacist in the late stages of training will have the opportunity to learn and understand regulatory science for drug development. The duration of the program will be 12 months and the fellow will participate in all the ACCELERATE scientific activities and events. The training will happen in hybrid format, both in situ and online, and there will be a possibility to link the fellowship to a research project and to provide the basis for the development of a PhD proposal.

Online Educational Training Platform

This free and open platform is designed for everyone: parents and patients, citizens, healthcare professionals, government bodies, Health Technology Assessment agencies, universities, and industry members. The platform will include all the program’s generated material as well as an Ask-The-Expert Forum and multi-stakeholder workshops.

Who are the key partners?

As a result of their educational expertise, Heidelberg University and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona will lead the design of the course. The two pharmaceutical companies, ROCHE and SANOFI, will work together to provide valuable input both in content and experts, as well as offer innovative mobility opportunities for researchers to facilitate a real cooperation between industry and academia. In addition, ALADDIN is also supported by the School of Cancer Sciences (Ecole des Sciences du Cancer), which is the training education department of Gustave Roussy.

And what’s more? Key childhood cancer associations have joined the ALADDIN consortium, including the European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE), Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer (ITCC), CCI Europe as the biggest pan-European childhood cancer parents’ and survivors’ organization, and Solving Kids Cancer UK. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is participating as associated partner, and The Right Click will be the responsible for building up and maintaining the online educational platform.

With the launch of ALADDIN, ACCELERATE’s goal is to deliver knowledge that will ultimately advance drug development to improve outcome and reduce side effects for children and adolescents with cancer.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.