Children Cancer Research: EPICKids

Project Description
At Fundación Aladina, we are driving forward EPICkids, an international research initiative focused on understanding how nutrition—specifically the Mediterranean Diet—can support children with cancer throughout their treatment. This project reflects our commitment to advancing not only survival, but also the quality of life of young patients.

EPICkids brings together leading hospitals and research institutions across Southern Europe and the United States, creating a strong collaborative network. By working closely with healthcare professionals, the project aims to generate practical tools that help monitor and improve the nutritional status of children and adolescents diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and certain brain tumors.

Project Impact
While still in its research phase, EPICkids is already playing a key role in building knowledge that has the potential to transform pediatric oncology care. The project focuses on collecting high-quality data that will allow researchers to better understand how diet influences treatment tolerance, recovery, and overall well-being.

As we mark two years since its launch in 2025, this initiative continues to grow steadily, laying the foundation for future breakthroughs that could directly benefit children facing cancer.

Challenges and Solutions
One of the main challenges at this stage is ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the data collected across multiple countries and institutions. This process requires time, coordination, and rigorous scientific standards. However, this careful approach is essential to ensure that future findings are reliable and can be effectively applied in clinical settings.

Future Steps
Looking ahead, EPICkids will continue strengthening its international collaboration and advancing its research efforts. The ultimate goal is to translate findings into clear, evidence-based recommendations that healthcare professionals can use to improve nutritional care, helping children better cope with treatment and supporting their long-term health and recovery.

Links:

• Aladina's website

A Warm Thank You

Thank you for supporting EPICKids, a groundbreaking research initiative led by Fundación Aladina to better understand how nutrition—particularly the Mediterranean Diet—may help children with cancer cope with treatment and improve long-term outcomes. Thanks to your generosity, the project continues moving forward across all participating hospitals in Spain and Europe. This year, our focus remains on the careful collection of high-quality data, an essential step toward generating evidence that will meaningfully improve pediatric oncology care in the future.

A Story From the Research Team

At Hospital Niño Jesús, Evangelina, a nutritionist and researcher on the EPICKids team, witnesses every day how crucial proper nutrition is for children facing cancer. She explains, “Nutrition is key for every child’s health, and even more so for those undergoing oncology treatment. Thanks to the EPICKids study and the support of Fundación Aladina, we are getting closer to understanding how diet might influence treatment and disease management. This is an important step that will help us better support young patients at every stage.” Her dedication reflects the passion of all professionals involved in shaping the future of nutritional care in pediatric oncology.

Where We Stand Today

EPICKids continues to operate in all participating hospitals, with researchers actively gathering data from enrolled children. While no direct beneficiaries can be reported yet, this phase is critical: the accuracy, consistency, and depth of the information collected now will allow scientists to later draw conclusions, identify patterns, and develop evidence-based nutritional recommendations that may improve treatment experiences for thousands of children. Every hour invested today brings us closer to actionable results.

Looking Ahead With Purpose

As we enter 2025, the EPICKids team remains fully committed to rigorous scientific work and international collaboration with partners in Spain, Italy, and Greece. Once data collection is complete, the next steps will include analysis, interpretation, and eventually the creation of practical protocols for healthcare teams. Your support makes this long-term vision possible. Together, we are laying the foundation for advancements that could transform nutritional care in pediatric oncology for years to come.

Links:

• Aladina's website