ISPNO 2026: Advancing Global Childhood Brain Cancer Research from Sydney

When more than 1,000 clinicians, researchers and healthcare professionals gathered at ICC Sydney for the 22nd International Symposium on Paediatric Neuro-Oncology, ISPNO 2026, Sydney became a global meeting point for one of medicine’s most urgent challenges - improving outcomes for children and adolescents diagnosed with brain and central nervous system tumours.

Hosted from 28 June to 1 July 2026 by the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia and the Kids Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, ISPNO 2026 brought together multidisciplinary experts across neuro-oncology, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, neurology, neuropathology, neuroscience, nursing, rehabilitation medicine and allied health.

For Sydney and New South Wales, the significance of hosting ISPNO 2026 extended well beyond the conference program. The event showcased the depth of the state’s medical research capability and reinforced Sydney’s position as a leading Asia-Pacific centre for childhood cancer research, treatment and innovation.

Professor David Ziegler, Chair of ISPNO 2026, Group Leader of the Brain Tumours Group and Paediatric Oncologist at Children’s Cancer Institute, said the motivation to bring the symposium to Sydney was both scientific and strategic.

"Australia had never hosted ISPNO, and I, and many others in the neuro-oncology community in Australia felt strongly that it was time", Professor Ziegler said. "We have built a paediatric neuro-oncology research and clinical community here that stands comparison with anywhere in the world, and bringing the international symposium to Sydney was a way to put that on the global stage."

He said hosting the event locally created access for clinicians and researchers across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, particularly early-career professionals who may not have the opportunity to travel to international meetings.

"That kind of exposure changes careers and seeds collaborations, and we wanted our region to benefit from it" Professor Ziegler said.

ISPNO 2026 delivered an estimated $2.6 million in direct expenditure for New South Wales, reflecting the immediate value generated through international visitation, accommodation, hospitality and business activity.

The successful bid for ISPNO 2026 aligned with significant investment in paediatric cancer research and infrastructure in New South Wales. The bid highlighted more than $16 million invested by the New South Wales Government in paediatric cancer research through Cancer Institute NSW over five years, alongside a $608 million investment in Australia’s first Comprehensive Children’s Cancer Centre at Sydney Children’s Hospital.

These investments have helped strengthen an ecosystem where research discoveries can move more rapidly from the laboratory into clinical practice. Institutions including Children’s Cancer Institute, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, UNSW Sydney and research partners across New South Wales are helping accelerate breakthroughs in precision medicine, genomics, clinical trials and innovative therapies for childhood cancers.

Professor Ziegler said the timing of the congress supported Sydney’s growing international profile in childhood cancer research and precision medicine.

"With the opening of the Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre and the continued growth of the ZERO Childhood Cancer Program, Sydney is emerging as a genuine global hub for childhood cancer research and precision medicine," he said. "ISPNO gave the international community a first-hand look at that infrastructure and the science behind it.’"

Childhood brain cancers require global collaboration because individual centres and countries cannot answer the most important research questions alone. Professor Ziegler said progress depends on sharing data, samples and trial infrastructure across borders.

"Childhood brain cancers are rare, and yet is the single disease that causes the greatest amount of deaths in childhood. No single centre, and no single country, has enough patients to answer the important questions alone," he said. "Progress depends on pooling data, samples and trial infrastructure across borders so that discoveries made in one place can be tested and translated everywhere."

That global focus was central to the purpose of ISPNO 2026. By gathering scientific leaders, clinicians, researchers, advocates and policymakers in Sydney, the symposium strengthened Sydney’s role within the international paediatric oncology community and elevated awareness of the work taking place across New South Wales.

"That is only possible when people trust one another and work as a genuine international community," Professor Ziegler said. "ISPNO exists to build exactly those connections and hosting it in Sydney let us strengthen Australia’s place in the global networks that are driving this work, while opening doors for our researchers and our patients that would otherwise stay closed."