Why Accelerate

There is a need to accelerate the process of evaluating innovative therapies and introduce them in standard cancer care in children and adolescents. Despite major progress over the last 50 years (80% of young people with malignancy are disease free at 5 years after diagnosis), cancer remains the most common cause of death by disease beyond the age of one. Medicines available for children with cancer are often off-patent, generic medicines which are prescribed off-label to paediatric patients. Even if cured, survivors suffer from long term side effects of treatment. 40% of childhood cancer survivors suffer from long term side effects that are impacting their lives severely. There is not only a need to cure more patients, but also cure them better.

Over the last 20 years, the landscape of drug development for children and adolescents has significantly changed, as result of regulatory initiatives in the US (RACE for children Act, passed in 2017 and into effect in 2020) and in Europe (The European Paediatric Medicine Regulation, 2006, and its current revision). Nevertheless, the number of new oncology drugs in pediatric development remains too low and more has to be done.

In addition, cancers in children differ from adult cancers. However, in pediatric oncology, needs are far from being addressed with too many developments of relevant oncology drugs in children being waived or significantly delayed.
ACCELERATE brings together academia, industry, advocacy and regulators to find solutions for more and better innovative therapies for children and adolescents with cancer

Our Name is our Mission

ACCELERATE engages with the international regulatory environments. ACCELERATE and its stakeholders believe following priorities in legislation are necessary to prosper childhood cancer drug development:

Cancer in Children & Adolescents

Pediatric cancer is still a major public health issue. Despite improving survival rates, cancer is still the first cause of death by disease beyond one year of age. Only in Europe, 6,000 young people die prematurely each year due to cancer.


ACCELERATE brings experts from various childhood cancer fields to the table to discuss and find optimal solutions for patients in need. 

Need for innovative therapies, based on a medicine’s mechanism-of-action

Innovative oncology drugs with new mechanisms of action (MOA) are already available for adult cancers and can be more effective than traditional drugs in several refractory malignancies. The field of drug development is currently expanding beyond well-studied areas like signalling pathways, to target patient’s immune system, as well as their unique genetic profile and metabolism. However, despite recent EU regulatory initiatives that changed the landscape of paediatric drug development in Europe for the better, access to innovative therapies remains insufficient and slow for children and adolescents with cancer.


This is why introducing safe and innovative treatments into standard care is a priority for all groups involved or working in the field of childhood cancers, in order to ensure the best possible care and outcomes for all children and adolescents with cancer in Europe.


ACCELERATE contributes to the need for innovative therapies by organizing multi-stakeholder Paediatric Strategy Forums and Conferences to discuss how to get these innovative therapies to the ones in need.

Facilitating cooperation and collaboration between all stakeholders

Facilitating cooperation and collaboration between all stakeholders on an international level is key for children and adolescents with cancer to receive their needed therapies. ACCELERATE aims to break down silo’s and put all experts to the table. These experts from the academic world, patients and parents advocates, representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, and regulators are brought to the table during our events such as the Paediatric Strategy Forums and Annual Conference or via research groups. Each stakeholder is able to discuss with an equal voice their perspective on drug development in childhood cancer to find solutions all together. 

Priorities in the international regulatory environment

ACCELERATE engages with the international regulatory environment in the United States and Europe. ACCELERATE and its stakeholders believe following priorities in legislation are necessary to prosper childhood cancer drug development: 

  1. Pediatric development of an oncology drug should be based on its mechanism-of-action rather than its adult indication.
  2. Prioritisation of oncology drugs should be established in order to match rare and frail children with cancer to the best available therapies.
  3. Reduction in the delays in starting the pediatric development of potentially life-saving innovative drugs.
  4. Implement more effective and flexible rewards to better incentivize the development of new specific paediatric medicines.

More information and details on ACCELERATE’s objectives have been described in following research paper:

“Creating a unique, multi-stakeholder Paediatric Oncology Platform to improve drug development for children and adolescents with cancer”