Leona Knox Email & Phone Number

Belfast, Gb

First advocate member of SIOPEN, the SIOP Europe Neuroblastoma study group.

Belfast

Belfast

My role is to ensure Solving Kids’ Cancer delivers effectively and efficiently on its Research Strategy, as the charity strives to improve the outcome of children and adolescents with the often highly aggressive childhood cancer neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma has one of the lowest survival rates of all childhood cancers. Most children are diagnosed with a high-risk form of the disease, for which treatment is the most intensive medical intervention for any type of cancer involving chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, high-dose therapy with stem cell rescue, retinoid therapy, and immunotherapy as standard. Despite all this, long-term survival for this group is around 30% to 40%. Devastatingly, around 90% of neuroblastoma cases occur in children younger than 5 years of age, with a median age at diagnosis of just 19 months.We play a leading role by bringing insight from those directly impacted by neuroblastoma, and work in partnership with prominent researchers and clinical experts to increase, shape, and accelerate UK-based neuroblastoma research. We are working to increase the UK’s clinical trial footprint and make sure more children can access innovative therapies closer to home. I am secretariat to our Scientific Advisory Board of international repute, and work in close collaboration with like-minded charities and parent advocates in both Europe and the US. I lead planning of our annual Neuroblastoma Parent Education Conference in London, inviting leading neuroblastoma researchers from around the world to share their latest updates directly with the parent/patient population they are working to help. I support the major role of advocacy within Solving Kids' Cancer to facilitate cooperative groups to work across borders to achieve common goals; and we work in collaboration with other organisations nationally and internationally. I am an active member of the multi-stakeholder paediatric oncology platform ACCELERATE, and parent lobby group Unite2Cure.

Washington

Belfast, United Kingdom

International

Multi-stakeholder platform to accelerate innovation in drug development for children and adolescents with cancer.

To identify the real obstacles in delivering paediatric oncology clinical trials internationally, and define opportunities to address and overcome these obstacles.

To develop a cancer strategy that addresses the specific needs of children, teenagers and young adults, and their families, in NI.

Belfast

Specialising in workflow (HR and financials).