BANDICOOT Adaptive Platform Trial

Project status: Active

Research area: Stem Cell Medicine > Cancer Therapies

Improving outcomes for children undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT)

BANDICOOT is a world‑first adaptive platform trial dedicated to improving the health outcomes of critically ill children undergoing HCT also known as a bone marrow transplant.

An adaptive platform trial

Using an innovative adaptive platform trial design, BANDICOOT can test multiple treatments at the same time. This modern and flexible approach speeds up the discovery of effective therapies in a field where high‑quality clinical evidence has traditionally been limited.

What the project will deliver

Through extensive co‑design with patients, families, and clinicians, BANDICOOT will launch three initial trial domains exploring:

Exercise interventions
Nutritional supplementation
Gut microbiome–targeted therapies

These domains reflect priority areas identified by the haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) community and offer significant potential to improve recovery, resilience, and long‑term wellbeing.

Beyond its immediate goals, BANDICOOT will establish a national infrastructure for adaptive platform trials in paediatric HCT. This will accelerate future testing of supportive care interventions and strengthen Australia’s capacity to run adaptive trials for other complex childhood health conditions.

The trial is supported by broad partnerships across healthcare, policy, and research. These collaborations will help ensure that new evidence is rapidly translated into clinical practice through policy reform, workforce education, and improved models of care.

Research team

Professor Rachel Conyers, Group Leader, Cancer Therapies, Stem Cell Medicine

Key publication

Rachel Conyers, Amanda Gwee, Hannah Walker, Lorna McLeman, Deborah Meyran, Li-yin Goh, Peter Summers, Julian Stolper, Diane Hanna, David Hughes, Stacie Wang, Claudia Toro, Elizabeth Williams, Roxanne Dyas, Lori Chait Rubinek, Kaitlyn Taylor, Chris J. Selman, Anneke Grobler, Katherine J. Lee, Tom Snelling, Theresa Cole, Co-designing a Novel Ordinal Endpoint for an Adaptive Platform Trial, BANDICOOT, in Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant, Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Volume 31, Issue 5, 2025.

Information for participants

BANDICOOT is currently in development, with a plan to open participant recruitment at selected hospitals in late 2026.

Consumer workshop - March 2026

Join our workshop to understand more about research in childhood bone marrow transplant and provide your valuable feedback. Register for the workshop below.

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