My Room backs Australian childhood cancer research push with $10 million commitment, bringing total funding to $55 million
Children's Cancer CoLab
- Children’s Cancer CoLab has secured a $10 million funding commitment from My Room Children’s Cancer Charity, bringing total committed funding to $55 million with contributions from Children’s Cancer Foundation ($10 million) and the Victorian Government ($35 million).
- The partnership will drive a nationally coordinated approach to childhood cancer research, targeting the hardest‑to‑treat cancers and cases where survival rates have stalled.
- Over 1,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer in Australia each year; yet only 19 targeted cancer drugs have ever been approved for use in children, compared with more than 100 for adults
- CoLab is Australia’s first independent, collaborative childhood cancer research funder, with funding decisions overseen by a national and international Scientific Advisory Committee supported by over 40 scientific reviewers and 14 lived‑experience reviewers.
EMBARGO: 2 August 2026
A landmark $10 million funding commitment from My Room Children's Cancer Charity to Children’s Cancer CoLab will accelerate the national scale-up of high-impact childhood cancer research and innovation across Australia.
The partnership marks a significant milestone, with $55 million now committed to Children’s Cancer CoLab: $10 million from My Room, $10 million from Children's Cancer Foundation, and $35 million from the Victorian Government.
With two of Australia's largest childhood cancer charities now behind CoLab, the most promising childhood and adolescent cancer research in the country will have a greater chance of being funded.
Margaret Zita OAM, CEO of My Room Children's Cancer Charity, said CoLab's strategic, independent, and scientifically rigorous funding model gives My Room confidence that its investment will be directed to where it will have the greatest impact for Australian children facing cancer.
“My Room is driven by hope that the research we fund today will give tomorrow's children with cancer a better chance. No single organisation can achieve that alone, which is why we are proud to join CoLab as a major funding partner,” said Ms Zita.
"My Room knows how to fundraise and support families, but independently reviewing and managing a large-scale national research portfolio is beyond our expertise. CoLab gives us that capability with its robust approach to scientific rigour, accountability and governance. My Room and our donors can be confident that every dollar of this $10 million commitment will deliver high-quality, high-impact research where children need it the most," she added.
Dr Udani Reets, CEO of Children's Cancer CoLab, said the partnership with My Room marks a defining moment for the childhood cancer sector.
"This partnership with My Room represents a transformational moment, not just for Children's Cancer CoLab, but for every child with cancer in Australia who deserves to survive and thrive. With My Room's funding commitment alongside those of Children's Cancer Foundation and the Victorian Government, we can build something that Australia has never had before: a truly national, coordinated approach to childhood cancer research that is strategic, accountable, and relentlessly focused on outcomes.”
“When government, philanthropy, researchers, clinicians, survivors and families all move in the same direction, the potential of what we can achieve together for children with cancer is extraordinary,” Dr Reets added.
Every year, more than 1,000 children and adolescents in Australia are diagnosed with cancer. While overall survival rates have improved, for some childhood cancers, and particularly for those who relapse, the outlook remains devastating. A large part of the problem is the shortage of therapies developed specifically for children; more than 100 targeted cancer drugs have been approved for adults, but only 19 have ever been approved for use in children.
CoLab was purposely established to tackle this problem, uniting philanthropy and government to become Australia's first independent, collaborative funder of childhood cancer research.
My Room's $10 million, five-year commitment will accelerate CoLab’s mission by funding discovery and translational research into the hardest-to-treat childhood cancers, from early-stage breakthroughs to new therapies that could transform outcomes for children with cancers where survival has stalled.
CoLab's funding decisions are guided by a national and international Scientific Advisory Committee, supported by a pool of more than 40 scientific reviewers and 14 lived-experience reviewers, ensuring every proposal is assessed with independence, rigour, and the perspectives of those who have experienced childhood cancer firsthand.
This model gives both My Room and Children's Cancer Foundation and their donors the confidence that every dollar they raise for CoLab will be directed to high-quality research, cutting through duplication, breaking down institutional silos, and delivering the greatest possible impact for children and adolescents with cancer.
With My Room’s funding commitment secured, Children's Cancer CoLab is now positioned to support transformative research by institutions and teams across all Australian states. CoLab’s milestone-based funding model ensures funding is deployed with discipline and rigour, supporting early-stage innovation and high-potential projects through a competitive, expert-reviewed process that prioritises impact above all else.
Iko Gutierrez’s childhood cancer story
Iko was just two when he was diagnosed with T‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that had already spread to his spine and brain, with doctors giving him only a 1% chance of survival. The cancer left him legally blind, and the treatments caused serious breathing complications. His family spent years in and out of hospital as chemotherapy and procedures took their toll. Now five and in his first year at school, Iko’s story shows why children need cancer therapies that are powerful against cancer but less toxic for growing bodies, and why collaboration between charities, government and researchers is critical to deliver safer, child‑designed treatments.
Read Iko’s story.
Download Iko's images here.
About us:
About Children's Cancer CoLab
Children's Cancer CoLab is an independent non-profit organisation transforming how childhood cancer research is funded and delivered in Australia. We unite government, philanthropy, researchers, clinicians, advocates, survivors and families to accelerate breakthrough discoveries. By fostering collaboration and innovation across sectors and disciplines, and ensuring survivors and families shape our decisions, we're creating a future where every child and adolescent with cancer can survive and thrive. www.cccolab.org.au
About My Room Children's Cancer Charity
My Room Children's Cancer Charity is a volunteer-led charity improving the lives of children, adolescents and young adults affected by childhood cancer across Australia. My Room understands the profound disruption a diagnosis brings to the whole family, so they fundraise for vital research, clinical care and family support, helping find life-changing medical breakthroughs to give children the best possible outcomes, today and for the future. www.myroom.com.au
Contact details:
Merrin Morrison
Children’s Cancer CoLab Communications Manager
E: [email protected]
M: 0400 829 601
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Iko MediaNet photo.jpg
Iko and his mother, Anne, in hospital during cancer treatment. Iko was two years-old when he was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. He was given a 1% chance of survival.
