Grants Search Results

Based on progress to date, Dr. Llosa was awarded a new grant in 2019 to fund an additional year of this Scholar grant. Osteosarcoma is a tumor that forms in the bones and is the most common bone tumor of childhood. Dr. Llosa is investigating how the immune system interacts with cancer cells from osteosarcoma tumors. Dr. Llosa's focus is on immunotherapy, a type of cancer treatment designed to boost the body's natural defenses to fight the cancer, and one of the most promising current approaches for treating tumors. Immunotherapy uses materials either made by the body or in a laboratory to improve or restore immune system function with the final goal of stopping the growth of tumors. Dr. Llosa is studying the immune microenvironment of metastatic osteosarcomas to assess their potential for checkpoint blockade (where immune responses are allowed through an checkpoint in malignant cells in order to fight the cancer) as a therapeutic option.

This grant is made with generous support from the Ethan Jostad Foundation, established by Kim and Chris Jostad in 2011 in memory of their son, Ethan, who was taken by Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma at the age of nine. In addition to funding cutting-edge pediatric cancer research, the foundation's mission is to provide emotional and financial support to children and families impacted by the disease.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Roberts was awarded a new grant in 2019 to fund an additional year of this Scholar grant. Dr. Roberts is focused on developing new treatments for patients with metastatic bone tumors. These tumors, once they have spread to the lungs, are incredibly difficult to treat. Dr. Roberts and his team will study the pathways that proteins move between osteosarcoma cancer cells and lung tissues. These experiments are helping Dr. Roberts and his team to better understand the biology that lets those tumors grow in the lung and will evaluate treatments which might prevent metastases from growing, and make them treatable when they do.

This consortium is conducting the first multi-institutional, genomics-based precision medicine trial for children with relapsed, refractory, and very high-risk leukemias. They are deploying new technologies to sequence all currently known cancer-promoting genes in an individual child's leukemia. Next, guided by a multi-disciplinary group of leukemia experts, they will make treatment recommendations based upon the genomic findings in the child's leukemia and the availability of a relevant targeted drugs for children. Results from this project will define the types and frequency of specific mutations in children with relapsed/refractory leukemia, and assess the impact of the treatment recommendations on their clinical care. The consortium will also perform laboratory-based studies to determine the response to therapy in lab models derived from the patient's leukemia cells, to identify new drug targets for these children. Data generated in this proposal will inform future genomically-based targeted therapy trials for children with leukemia with the long-term goal of precise, safe, and more efficacious therapies for children with these diseases. Funds administered by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

This grant is named for Hannah’s Heroes, a Hero Fund established to honor Hannah Meeson. At age 6 she was diagnosed with anaplastic medulloblastoma. After a relapse and additional treatment, Hannah currently shows no evidence of disease. Throughout her treatments, Hannah never complained and remained positive and happy. This fund pays tribute to her fight by raising awareness and funding for all childhood cancers because kids like Hannah “are worth fighting for.”

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

Children with aggressive leukemia frequently require a bone marrow transplant to achieve a cure. Some children have a small number of leukemia cells remaining before receiving a bone marrow transplant, which makes it very likely that their leukemia will recur. Dr. Taraseviciute, the Team Abby St. Baldrick's Fellow, is studying the power of the immune system to fight any remaining leukemia cells after bone marrow transplantation. To do this, Dr. Taraseviciute and her team are making T cells (a special type of immune cell) that can recognize and eliminate leukemia cells to provide a chance for a cure for children who have already received a bone marrow transplant.

This grant is generously supported by TEAM ABBY Gives, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund. Abby was diagnosed with Pre-B ALL when she was almost five years old. She had a successful bone marrow transplant, but battle battled graft vs. host disease (GVHD) for years. Abby and her treatment team worked hard over many years to keep the GVHD in check. Sadly, Abby passed away on October 19, 2021. This fund unites the incredible support of family and friends in Abby's memory and inspires others to join the fight for cures and better treatments.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Sinha was awarded a new grant in 2018 to fund an additional year of this Fellow award. Myelodysplastic syndrome is a rare disease that affects the stem cells in the bone marrow, which causes decreased blood counts. It is also known to be a precursor to acute myeloid leukemia. Cellular mutations are present in majority of these cases, however the mechanisms of development of these mutations are still not clear. Dr. Sinha is studying these interactions, in order to identify new prognostic factors and therapeutic options for these patients. Awarded at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and transferred to University of Oklahoma Health and Science Center.

Targeted therapy works by attacking an abnormal gene product that is specific to the cancer type. Only a minority of neuroblastoma types show genetic drivers, which makes it difficult to develop targeted therapy. Most neuroblastomas show too many or too few copies of large chromosomal regions, called CNAs. Dr. Weiss is studying the connection between CNAs and neuroblastoma, to determine if it CNA is a possible candidate for targeted therapy. Dr. Weiss is engineering CNAs to create CNA-driven models of neuroblastoma, which he will then use to identify CNA-specific therapies to treat neuroblastoma.

Childhood brain tumors are frequently quite different than those of adults. Dr. Eck's For the Love of Jack St. Baldrick''s Research Grant aims to find new 'targeted' therapies for low-grade astrocytomas (a type of brain tumor) in children that are caused by a mutation in a protein called BRAF. BRAF mutations are common in cancer, and drugs have been developed that are effective in some tumors caused by one type of BRAF mutation. Unfortunately, these drugs do not work on the BRAF mutation found most often in pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Eck is using detailed information about the molecular structure of the BRAF mutation found in pediatric brain tumors to discover new drugs that specifically target this cause of brain tumors in children. Jack Tweedy was diagnosed with brain and spinal cancer when he was two. Since then he has endured multiple surgeries and 270 weeks of chemotherapy but never fails to uplift those around him. Together with his family, he inspires others to help fund the best research to ensure that all cancer warriors have better treatment options.

The interaction between two important cancer-related proteins called MDM4 and TOP2A may cause cancer and contribute to disease progression. Dr. Zhou is studying the regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A to identify small-molecule inhibitors (agents) that can block the MDM4-TOP2A interaction, leading to inhibition of these two proteins. The results of these studies will provide important clues to help scientists develop novel methods and drugs to specifically and simultaneously target TOP2A and MDM4 for treatment of pediatric cancer patients.

Treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using chemoradiation can be successful, but it is difficult to manage treatment-associated side events and secondary cancers. Furthermore, in relapsed/refractory patients, the overall prognosis remains dismal. Direct inhibition of the main proteins promoting cancer (the 'oncogenes') is not successful in ALL. Dr. Ntziachristos's "Just Do It...and be done with it" St. Baldrick's Research Grant will study certain oncogene-supporting mechanisms that might be specific to a diseased state, and not to a healthy state. Dr. Ntziachristos has selected one of these mechanisms to target in ALL models, and is assessing the anti-cancer activity that results. Such experiments could pave the way for clinical trials for high-risk disease.

This grant is named for the "Just Do It...and be done with it" Hero Fund created in honor of Sara Martorano who doesn''t let anything dim her sparkle and has a compassionate heart and smile. It also celebrates the courage of all cancer kids through treatment and the support of their family and friends.

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma is a type of incurable brain tumor that affects young children. Despite treatment with radiation and chemotherapy, the tumor exhibits resistance to current treatments and grows back. Dr. Beroukhim is studying the tumors at a single-cell level to determine how they become resistant to treatments, which will help guide the development of combination therapies to improve outcomes.

This grant is made with generous support from the McKenna Claire Foundation established by the Wetzel family in memory of their daughter, McKenna. Their mission is to cure pediatric brain cancer by raising awareness, increasing community involvement and funding research.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a tumor of white blood cells that normally fight infection. Changes in DNA, or mutations, are important in driving the development of ALL. Mutations in genes that control the reading of DNA are particularly common in leukemia cells that don't respond to treatment. Dr. Mullighan is studying engineered ALL cells and tumors to understand how these mutations result in resistance to therapy, and to develop new ways of treating ALL. The St. Baldrick’s Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award is given in honor of the late Dr. Robert Arceci. A pioneer in the field, this award reflects Dr. Arceci’s values including creativity, collaboration, and commitment to early- to mid-career scientists.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare cancer of the immune cells that can cause a wide range of symptoms, ranging from a rash to lethal multi-organ disease. Dr. Zinn hypothesizes that a patient's symptoms are determined by a combination of the patient's specific mutation and the specific immune cell that becomes mutated. Dr. Zinn is investigating the causes of LCH in order to develop the most effective and safe therapies for each patient.

Genes instruct cells to do their jobs through making specific proteins. In the human body, all cells store these "instructions" in the chromosomes. When chromosomes break off, the broken pieces sometimes change places and create new chromosomes. These changes are called chromosomal translocations. Dr. Su is studying how chromosomal translocations cause deadly diseases in children and young adults, and more importantly, is investigating possible clinical options to correct these abnormal conditions.