Willberry Wonder Pony funds new research into rare cancer in young rider’s memory

Funds raised by a charity set up by the late young event rider Hannah Francis will go towards exploring new and kinder treatment options for cancer patients.

Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity has joined forces with The Bone Cancer Research Trust to award a grant to Dr Jun Ishihara at Imperial College London for research into a new immunotherapy approach to osteosarcoma.

Hannah was diagnosed with bone cancer in May 2015 and died the following year aged 18. She founded Willberry Wonder Pony to raise money for bone cancer research and to grant horsey wishes to those with serious illnesses. This initiative is the latest in a number of other research projects the charity has supported.

“When Hannah was ill, we investigated all the potential treatment options available, although these were few and far between,” said Hannah’s parents, charity trustees Rachel and James Francis.

“One area of rapid development for other cancers was in immunotherapy, but no such options existed for osteosarcoma. So we are hugely excited about jointly funding this new grant, which will explicitly investigate this exciting area of science.

“We’re equally pleased to be working with the Bone Cancer Research Trust as we both share the same vision and a determination to provide brighter prospects for those diagnosed with this dreadful disease in future.”

A protein named interleukin-12 (IL-12) is known to successfully activate anti-tumour immune cells against several cancers. But it also induces severe toxicity to other tissues. Dr Ishihara has been able to reduce the effect on healthy tissue, while delivering the protein to the tumour.

The project aims to extend the results found in other cancers to a full range of laboratory models of osteosarcoma. It will also look at whether combining this with part of the current chemotherapy regime can have additional benefit.

Dr Zoe Davison, head of research, support and information at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, said: “Immunotherapy is emerging as an effective treatment in many cancers and works by helping the immune system find and attack cancer cells.

“With treatment options for osteosarcoma patients remaining unchanged for decades it’s vital that we investigate options such as immunotherapy for our patients and try to translate the progress being made in other cancers to osteosarcoma.

“We’re delighted to be able to do this in collaboration with Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity, which wholeheartedly has the same aim as us, to offer osteosarcoma patients kinder and more effective treatments.”

This project is also supported by the Albert Gubay Foundation.

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