On March 3 2026, SHINE was at the kick-off meeting of the new EU Cancer Mission cluster on Quality of Life for Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA). It was hosted by PredictAYA project partner the European Cancer Organisation (ECO), in Brussels.
The new cluster brings together six projects funded under the Horizon Europe programme: eQuol, LATE-AYA, MAYA, PanCare4AYA, TRANSCEND-XR and PredictAYA.
SHINE’s CEO Carina Dantas presented the MAYA project activities and progress so far, a project that envisions a future where Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) cancer survivors are empowered to manage their cardiovascular health and lifestyle with the support of innovative digital tools specifically designed to address cardiotoxic-related late effects of cancer treatment, from the convenience of their homes. That is reached through the iCARE health hub, equipped with a smart mirror and an AI-powered conversational agent.
The discussion proceed together with Georgia Karanasiou, PMP and Cristina Ghiță, PhD. Working together for better and more sustainable impact in cancer care, synergies between cluster projects and other European AYA cancer initiatives were also discussed, including EU-CiP: The EU Cancer Information Portal Project, CANDLE Project, JANE-2- EU Joint Action on Networks of Expertise on Cancer, STRONG AYA, Youth Cancer Network, and UNCAN-Connect.
Together, the projects share the common mission that is to improve the quality of life of adolescents and young adults living with and beyond cancer. By working in a cluster, the projects aim to strengthen knowledge exchange, foster collaboration across initiatives, and maximise the impact of Horizon Europe investment in AYA cancer care and survivorship. Joint activities will take place across three working groups, focusing on scientific collaboration, data management, and dissemination and policy outreach.
The kick-off meeting was the opportunity for all projects to present their work and identify specific areas for collaboration. The event also featured presentations from related initiatives.
You can learn more about the cluster here.