ST ANNA KINDERKREBSFORSCHUNG VEREIN

Their core work

St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI) in Vienna is a dedicated pediatric cancer research center focused on improving diagnosis, treatment, and survival outcomes for children with cancer and rare diseases. They specialize in preclinical drug development, genomic profiling (NGS workflows), and translational research that bridges laboratory discoveries to clinical application in childhood leukemia, neuroblastoma, and solid tumors. Their work spans from molecular-level investigations — functional genomics, biomarker discovery, pharmacogenetics — to large-scale European efforts in standardizing precision medicine for pediatric oncology.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier period (2016–2019), St. Anna focused heavily on disease-specific preclinical research — building tumor models (PDX, organoids), studying neuroblastoma and DIPG through imaging biomarkers, and establishing pediatric cancer research networks. From 2020 onward, the focus shifted markedly toward genomic standardization, NGS workflow integration, pharmacogenetics, and digital infrastructure (e-reporting, e-medication, survivorship passports). This evolution reflects a move from discovery-stage research toward clinical implementation and diagnostic standardization.

St. Anna is moving from laboratory-based cancer biology toward standardized, digitally-integrated precision medicine pipelines ready for clinical deployment in pediatric oncology.

How they like to work

St. Anna operates exclusively as a consortium participant — across all 12 H2020 projects, they never served as coordinator. They consistently join large European consortia, having worked with 248 unique partners across 38 countries, indicating they are a valued specialist contributor rather than a project driver. This makes them a reliable, low-friction partner for coordinators seeking deep pediatric oncology expertise without competition for leadership roles.

With 248 unique consortium partners spanning 38 countries, St. Anna has one of the broadest collaboration networks in European pediatric cancer research. Their reach extends well beyond Europe — the CLOSER project explicitly bridges South America and Europe — though the core network centers on EU member states.

What sets them apart

St. Anna is one of very few research centers in Europe exclusively dedicated to childhood cancer, giving them unmatched depth in pediatric oncology that generalist cancer institutes cannot replicate. Their combination of preclinical model expertise (organoids, PDX, GEMM) with genomic diagnostics capability (NGS, pharmacogenetics, bioinformatics) makes them a one-stop partner for translating pediatric cancer research into clinical-grade tools. For consortium builders, they bring both the disease-specific knowledge and the technical infrastructure needed for precision medicine projects targeting childhood cancers.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ITCC-P4
  Largest funded project (EUR 102,811) building a comprehensive pediatric preclinical POC platform using PDX, GEMM, organoid, and biomarker approaches across solid and brain tumors.
• EJP RD
  Massive European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases connecting rare disease data, omics, FAIR principles, and patient empowerment — positions St. Anna at the intersection of pediatric cancer and rare disease policy.
• Instand-NGS4P
  Represents St. Anna's strategic pivot into standardized NGS diagnostics, covering the full pipeline from preanalytics to bioinformatics under IVDR compliance for both pediatric and adult cancers.