Children's Cancer Institute

What Children's Cancer Institute does

Children's Cancer Institute (legal name: Children's Cancer Institute Australia) is an independent nonprofit medical research institute headquartered in Randwick, New South Wales, with research laboratories at the University of New South Wales and co-location with the Lowy Cancer Research Centre. Founded in 1976 by two fathers of children with cancer, it is the only independent medical research institute in Australia wholly dedicated to the causes, prevention, and cure of childhood cancer, and employs over 350 researchers, operational staff, and students.

The institute's flagship asset is the Zero Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO), a national precision medicine platform now available to all Australian children and young people (0-18 years) diagnosed with cancer, regardless of survival odds. ZERO delivers per-patient whole-genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, drug screening against a 125-compound panel, and patient-derived xenograft modelling, with results used to recommend precision-guided therapy. Reported outcomes include 52% clinical benefit rates among children receiving ZERO-recommended therapy and a doubling of median overall survival (21.3 vs 12.1 months). The Therapeutic Discovery Theme encompasses specialised groups in brain tumours (DIPG, DMG, glioblastoma, medulloblastoma), the Drug Discovery Centre, Cancer Epigenetic Biology and Therapeutics, Chemical Biology and Target-Based Drug Design, Computational Drug Discovery Biology, Translational Cancer Nanomedicine, and Experimental Therapeutics and Molecular Oncology. The ASpIRe Program was added in May 2026 to apply spatial multiomics to paediatric immunotherapy. Clinical delivery is integrated across all nine Australian children's hospitals and 22 national and international research partners; international sites opened in New Zealand (Auckland and Christchurch) in 2024.

Revenue is derived from Australian Federal Government grants (Medical Research Future Fund, NHMRC, Cancer Australia), philanthropic foundations (Minderoo Foundation, Australian Cancer Research Foundation), corporate partnerships, and individual donations. Headline funding events include $25M AUD in 2017, $67M AUD in 2023, and $112.6M AUD in 2025 for ZERO, plus a $2M AUD grant for ASpIRe in 2026. The institute states that 84 cents of every dollar is spent directly on research. Fundraising is delivered through signature events (86K for a Cure, Diamond Ball, CEO Dare to Cure), corporate workplace giving, regular giving, gifts in wills, and a mobile app supported by Stripe, Ezidebit, and Salesforce payment infrastructure.

Name

Children's Cancer Institute

Legal name

Children's Cancer Institute Australia

Website

https://ccia.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Oncology Research

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Hematology & Oncology (HLAKAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Oncology (HLAKAFAB), Rare Pediatric & Congenital Disorder Therapies (HLAIAIAN)

Keywords

• Childhood cancer research
• Pediatric precision medicine
• Genomics drug screening
• Biomedical research institute
• Clinical trial oncology

Headquarters

HQ city

Randwick

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The institute relies heavily on donations from the public, corporate partners, trusts and foundations. Fundraising events include 86K for a Cure, CEO Dare to Cure, Diamond Ball, and other campaigns. 84 cents of every dollar is spent directly on research.
2. Government Funding: Federal Government funding through Medical Research Future Fund, National Health and Medical Research Council, Cancer Australia, and other government bodies. In March 2025, $112.6 million investment announced to continue and expand ZERO program.
3. Philanthropic Grants: Major grants from foundations including Minderoo Foundation ($17.2M), Australian Cancer Research Foundation ($2M for ASpIRe Program), and other charitable organisations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Children's Cancer Institute is an independent nonprofit medical research institute that delivers precision medicine programs, genomic and drug-screening analyses, and translational cancer research focused exclusively on childhood cancer. Its flagship national program, Zero Childhood Cancer (ZERO), performs whole genome and RNA sequencing plus high-throughput drug screening for pediatric cancer patients and delivers targeted therapy recommendations, while adjunct research programs (Brain Tumours Group, Levi's Project, ASpIRe, Drug Discovery Centre) develop new therapeutics for aggressive and incurable childhood cancers. The institute is funded by donations, government grants and philanthropic foundations.

Product overview

Children's Cancer Institute operates as a research institute offering a portfolio of research programs rather than a traditional product company. The primary service offerings include the Zero Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO) - a national personalised medicine program providing genomic analysis and drug screening for children with cancer - and the 86k for a Cure fundraising initiative with a companion mobile app. Research activities are organized into the Therapeutic Discovery Theme, which encompasses multiple specialized research groups including Brain Tumours, Levi's Project (DIPG research), Drug Discovery Centre, Cancer Epigenetic Biology and Therapeutics, Chemical Biology and Target-Based Drug Design, Computational Drug Discovery Biology, Translational Cancer Nanomedicine, and Experimental Therapeutics and Molecular Oncology. The institute also recently launched the ACRF Spatial Immune-oncology Research (ASpIRe) Program for immunotherapy research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zero Childhood Cancer: Australia's first and most comprehensive personalised medicine program for children and young people with cancer, providing in-depth genomic analysis for each patient.
• 86k for a Cure
• Levi's Project
• ASpIRe Program

Products and services

• Zero Childhood Cancer Program (ZERO) Australia's first and most comprehensive personalised medicine program for children and young people with cancer, providing in-depth whole genome sequencing, RNA sequencing and high-throughput drug screening to identify precision-medicine treatments tailored to each child.
• 86k for a Cure Annual fundraising initiative where participants walk or run 86km in March to represent the 86 children diagnosed with cancer each month in Australia, supported by a dedicated mobile app integrating Apple Health and Health Connect for activity tracking.
• Brain Tumours Research Program Research group developing novel targeted therapies, immunotherapies and advanced drug delivery systems for malignant childhood brain tumours including DIPG, DMG, glioblastoma, ependymoma and medulloblastoma, using patient-derived xenograft models and high-throughput drug screening.
• Levi's Project Dedicated DIPG research project developing Australia's first treatment strategy specifically for DIPG across five research areas: Total Therapy, Combination Therapy, Pathway Analysis, Discovery, and Breakthrough research on blood-brain barrier penetration.
• ACRF Spatial Immune-oncology Research (ASpIRe) Program World-leading research facility using spatial multiomics technologies to map the Tumour Immune Microenvironment (TIME) and identify how childhood cancers hide from the immune system, with the aim of bridging the immunotherapy gap for children.
• Drug Discovery Centre Research group focused on discovering new anti-cancer therapeutics and supporting personalised medicine for children with cancer.
• Translational Cancer Nanomedicine Research group focused on understanding the molecular causes of cancer and developing nanomedicine approaches that selectively target and kill cancer cells in children.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84 cents of every dollar spent directly on research
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• All Nine of Australia's Children's HospitalsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll nine of Australia's children's hospitals participate in the Zero Childhood Cancer Program, providing clinical trial participants and enabling nationwide access to precision medicine.
• 22 National and International Research PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZERO program includes 22 national and international research partners collaborating on childhood cancer research and precision medicine development.
• Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children's HospitalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint leadership of the Zero Childhood Cancer Program with Children's Cancer Institute. The program is jointly led by both organisations.
• Nexon Asia PacificminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner participating in 86K for a Cure fundraising challenge, with 36 organisation members raising funds and completing kilometres for the cause.
• Dell Technologies ANZminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner in 86K for a Cure event, raising funds for childhood cancer research.
• Asahi Beverages NSW/ACTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner in 86K for a Cure fundraising event.
• Freedom FurnitureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner in 86K for a Cure fundraising event.
• HealiusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner in 86K for a Cure with multiple teams participating.
• University of SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on DMG research including epi-transcriptomics study published in Cell Death and Disease. Professor Marcel Dinger, Dean of Science, was joint corresponding author.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: The leading US nonprofit pediatric cancer research and treatment hospital; closely comparable as a mission-aligned, donor-funded research institute wholly dedicated to childhood cancer with a national clinical footprint and precision medicine programs (e.g., St. Jude's Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, Genomes for Kids).
• Children's Oncology Group (COG): The world's largest cooperative pediatric cancer clinical trials network, supported by the US NCI; highly comparable as the dominant multi-site pediatric oncology clinical trial platform — a structural analog to the ZERO national clinical trial in Australia.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Research Institute: One of the largest US pediatric research enterprises embedded in a children's hospital; comparable in pediatric oncology research breadth and translational pipeline, though operating as part of a broader pediatric health system rather than as a standalone childhood-cancer-only institute.
• Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center: Joint pediatric oncology program of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital; highly comparable in pediatric precision medicine research, translational trials, and hematology/oncology specialisation — Prof. David Ziegler trained at Dana-Farber as a Fulbright Scholar, underlining the research linkage.

Regional players

• Garvan Institute of Medical Research: Leading Australian medical research institute based in Sydney; comparable as a fellow Australian nonprofit research institute competing for the same federal (MRFF/NHMRC) and philanthropic funding pools, though focused on genomics and adult disease rather than exclusively pediatric oncology.
• Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI): Australia's largest child health research institute, based at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne; comparable as a peer Australian pediatric research institute competing for the same funding sources and overlapping in childhood cancer themes, though broader in scope (covering all child health).
• Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre: Australia's flagship public cancer research, treatment, and education hospital; comparable in oncology research depth and translational pipeline, and a peer competitor for federal cancer research funding, though focused on adult oncology as primary mission.
• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute: Major Australian medical research institute with strong cancer research portfolio; comparable as a nonprofit Australian research institute competing for MRFF/NHMRC grants and translational oncology partnerships, though with a broader disease focus.
• Telethon Kids Institute: Western Australia-based child health and development research institute; comparable as an Australian pediatric research nonprofit, though with a broader child health remit and less oncology-specific focus than CCI.

Emerging players

• Seattle Children's Research Institute: US pediatric research enterprise with strong pediatric oncology and immunotherapy programs; comparable in translational pediatric cancer research and precision medicine, and a potential partner/peer for international clinical research collaborations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KidsCancerInst

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Children's Cancer Institute