Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), June 23, 2026. The PHOENIX project, “Phase I/II trial of an Oral ER-stress Inducer in relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma and paediatric solid tumours”, officially launched in Barcelona (Spain) on 16–17 June 2026.
 

The project is coordinated by the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and funded with €8.5 million by the EU Cancer Mission initiative under the Horizon Europe programme. Running over six years, PHOENIX brings together researchers, clinicians, patient organisations, and innovation partners across Europe to develop safer and more effective treatments for children with high-risk cancers.

A new hope for children with high-risk cancer

Paediatric solid tumours, such as neuroblastoma, sarcoma, and certain extracranial tumours, remain among the leading causes of cancer-related death in children and adolescents. Although current treatments have improved survival rates, they are often highly aggressive and can cause severe long-term physical side effects. Each year, more than 6,000 children are diagnosed with solid tumours in Europe, and approximately 1,000 of these cases are considered high-risk, with very limited or no treatment options available.
 

Bringing together 13 organisations from 6 European countries, PHOENIX aims to evaluate for the first time in paediatric patients the drug ibrilatazar, both as a monotherapy and in combination with current chemo- and immunotherapies, to establish safety and enhance treatment efficacy.
 

The project focuses on developing safer and more effective therapies for children and adolescents with relapsed or treatment-resistant cancers. The study will investigate ibrilatazar in combination with standard chemotherapy and selected immunotherapies, with the goal of improving treatment outcomes while reducing harmful side effects.
 

“Children and adolescents with cancer need therapies adapted to their biology and age, which are effective but also less toxic,” explains Dr Lucas Moreno, Head of the Paediatric Oncology and Haematology Department at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and co-leader of the Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Group at VHIR. “With this project, we aim not only to improve survival, but also the quality of life of patients and their families.”
 

The drug under study, ibrilatazar (ABTL0812), has been developed by the Catalan biotechnology company AbilityPharma, partner of the project. This will be the first time this medicine is studied in paediatric patients, after having shown excellent tolerability and signs of efficacy in adults in phase 2 clinical trials in pancreatic, lung and endometrial cancer. It has also shown good results in preclinical studies using neuroblastoma models.
 

Unlike conventional chemotherapy, ibrilatazar is designed to target tumour cells while helping preserve healthy tissue, potentially reducing long-term side effects.  PHOENIX aims to bring new hope to children and families affected by high-risk cancers by advancing safer, more personalised, and more effective treatment options across Europe.

A clinical trial for patients with no other therapeutic options

The PHOENIX clinical trial is expected to begin next year and will involve around 50 patients, recruited across 15 centres from 6 European countries, who currently have limited or no therapeutic alternatives available.
 

“This trial is the result of many years of rigorous laboratory research,” says Dr Miquel Segura, Co-head of the Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Group at VHIR and PHOENIX Project Coordinator. “Seeing this work translated into a real therapeutic opportunity for children and adolescents with cancer is both a major scientific milestone and a source of hope for families facing very limited treatment options.”
 

Beyond the clinical trial itself, PHOENIX will also integrate advanced personalised medicine approaches, including biomarker research and liquid biopsy technologies, to better understand how patients respond to treatment and support more tailored therapies in the future. The project will additionally explore social and healthcare barriers that may limit access to innovative treatments and clinical trials, helping promote more equitable cancer care across Europe.

A new therapeutic approach

Ibrilatazar works differently from traditional chemotherapy. Instead of damaging DNA, it activates natural cellular mechanisms that help tumour cells destroy themselves while reducing damage to healthy cells.
 

“This mechanism opens a new therapeutic pathway with potential applications across several tumour types, including paediatric cancers,” says Dr Carles Domènech, CEO and co-founder of AbilityPharma. “Collaborating with VHIR in this academic trial is an opportunity to advance safer cancer therapies for children and adolescents.”
 

AbilityPharma, a biotechnology company based in Catalonia, is developing innovative cancer therapies based on autophagy induction, a strategy that promotes the selective elimination of tumour cells. The company collaborates with VHIR by providing the investigational drug, adapting its formulation for paediatric patients, and supporting regulatory activities.
 

To facilitate administration in paediatric patients, a specific oral suspension formulation will be developed instead of the capsule formulation currently used in adults, with the aim of improving treatment acceptability, safety, and adherence.
 

The project is part of the EU Cancer Mission cluster “Diagnosis and Treatment – Innovative clinical trials for paediatric cancer”, together with two other projects funded under the same call: EPIC-DIPG (coordinated by the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute) and THEODORA (coordinated by the Gustave Roussy Institute).
 

List of project partners