Research

It was an inspirational story that was tough to miss: Tyler Trent, Purdue student and Boilermaker superfan, battling a cancer that would prove fatal, and doing so with grace, poise, and character that belied his 20 years. His story has been told during countless television pieces, and social media posts, and even a book. Behind the scenes, though, Tyler made a decision that could potentially mean life-saving treatment in years to come for others faced with aggressive cancers. He agreed to be treated by a team of professionals that would try a precision oncology approach, with genomics front and center, to test what could potentially work for others in the future. The medical team hoped to learn ways to minimize the long-term effects from a wide range of cancers for those who survive.

One member of the team that worked with Tyler, and got to know his family, too, was Dr. Jamie Renbarger, a six-time St. Baldrick’s Foundation shavee and Division Chief of hematology/oncology at Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health. During her nearly twenty years as a pediatric cancer doctor and researcher, Dr. Renbarger has learned a few things about genomics, about targeted, precision therapies – like those tried with Tyler – and about how research can lead to unexpected discoveries.

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“Same old, same old … doesn’t count.” Bob Arceci didn’t think that old methods were going to tackle pediatric cancers. As you can hear him talk about in this video, he was looking for new ideas, for thinking that wasn’t just “out of the box,” but never really in the box in the first place.

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It’s a lofty goal that’s right below the St. Baldrick’s logo for all to see: Conquer Childhood Cancers. And it’s a goal that takes a multi-faceted approach, a robust network of hospitals and researchers, and labs with professionals from throughout the age and experience spectrum.

As we learned recently when we interviewed Dr. Jeff Lipton, there’s real value in building a “pipeline” of researchers; and one way this pipeline grows is by funding the training of new researchers at hospitals and research organizations throughout North America.

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Dr. Jeffrey Lipton claims that the St. Baldrick’s Foundation doesn’t receive all the credit it deserves for developing a pipeline of young cancer researchers.

“Without the Foundation, many of today’s experts would never have embarked on basic, translational or clinical research on pediatric cancers,” he said. But, you could just as easily argue that St. Baldrick’s wouldn’t be where it is today without Dr. Lipton’s efforts.

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Brain tumors in children can sound especially daunting – but some brain tumors can be malignant and not especially life-threatening. Therefore, getting an accurate diagnosis is key, and Dr. James Olson of Seattle Children’s Hospital is working on more accurately diagnosing and treating brain cancers in children.

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It might seem that Department of Defense technology that’s used to detect explosives might not have any use in diagnosing childhood cancers. But, if you ask St. Baldrick’s Foundation “Rockstar Researcher” Dr. Bruce Shiramizu, this technology has real potential to help patients, parents, caregivers, and the cancer community.

It’s why this Hawaii-based doctor, who has worked on the mainland at the University of California San Francisco and at the National Institutes of Health, is so passionate about his research work and what it might be able to do for children throughout the world. This veteran researcher has shaved his head multiple times for St. Baldrick’s – that’s one definition of a “Rockstar Researcher” – and his body of work speaks volumes.

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Today, Feb. 15, 2019, marks this year’s International Childhood Cancer Day.

While the St. Baldrick’s Foundation might be thought of as just an American organization, the fact is that the research we fund has global reach – so we thought that we’d share a few snapshots of just how global our organization really is, and how our funding and your support are making a true impact for kids with cancer throughout the world.

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It’s Valentine’s Day and that means exchanging cards, chocolates, teddy bears, and flowers with loved ones. The prevailing symbol of Valentine’s Day is the heart – which makes sense, given that the day is all about showing love and affection.

Because the heart is so central to Valentine’s Day, it’s a useful time to reflect on how childhood cancers impact this vital organ. Unfortunately, childhood cancers affect far more than the parts of the body in which they emerge – brain cancer doesn’t just harm the brain; leukemia doesn’t just affect the blood; and bone cancers often spread to the major organs.

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February 4th is World Cancer Day. Established in 2000 at the World Summit Against Cancer in Paris, World Cancer Day promotes awareness, research, and services dedicated to helping people conquer cancer.

It’s an appropriate time, then, to reflect on the efforts of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to fight childhood cancers around the world.

Founded in New York City and currently headquartered in Los Angeles, St. Baldrick’s has deep roots in the United States. But the organization has been very active beyond America’s borders, funding a variety of promising research projects that can help fight childhood cancers in the near and distant future.

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For the 11th consecutive year, Dr. Alex Huang will be shaving his head for kids’ cancer research. A pediatric oncologist and professor at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and the Angie Fowler AYA Cancer Institute at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, he’s no stranger to the fight against childhood cancers.

In fact, as an accomplished cancer fighter who’s dedicated time – and hair! – to helping raise money for childhood cancer research, he’s the very definition of a “Rockstar Shavee”.

Dr. Alex Huang, winner of a St. Baldrick’s Innovation Award, will shave his head for an 11th time this year.

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