Childhood cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in children, with high-risk neuroblastoma and other aggressive paediatric solid tumours representing a critical unmet need. Despite multimodal therapy, over half of children with relapsed or refractory disease do not achieve long-term survival, and those who do often suffer severe, lifelong toxicities. There is an urgent need for safer and more effective therapies.
Ibrilatazar (ABTL0812) is a first-in-class, orally administered anticancer agent that induces tumour cell death through endoplasmic reticulum stress and cytotoxic autophagy. Unlike conventional genotoxic chemotherapies, it spares DNA, offering a potentially safer profile highly relevant in children. In adult patients with advanced solid tumours, ibrilatazar has shown an excellent safety record and early efficacy in Phase I/II trials, with long-term stabilisation in heavily pre-treated patients, thereby supporting its evaluation in the paediatric population.
Preclinical studies in neuroblastoma models, including MYCN-amplified and chemoresistant cell lines, demonstrate that ibrilatazar reduces tumour growth, downregulates MYCN expression, and enhances standard chemotherapies and differentiating agents. Building on this evidence, PHOENIX will conduct a first-in-child, multicentre Phase I/II clinical trial of ibrilatazar in relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma and other aggressive solid tumours. The trial will test combinations with irinotecan-temozolomide and selected immunotherapies (anti-GD2, anti-VEGF), aligned with our preclinical findings. In parallel, a comprehensive translational programme will integrate pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, genomic, and
immunological biomarker studies, aiming to enable patient stratification, early treatment monitoring, and improved trial inclusiveness by addressing social determinants of health. Thus, PHOENIX seeks to deliver a safer, more effective therapeutic alternative for children with high-risk cancers.

Sustainable Development Goals

Masaryk University is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to improve the conditions and quality of life on our planet by 2030.