Grants Search Results

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: The Malignant Germ Cell Tumor International Consortium (MaGIC). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

Dr. French's research focuses on a deadly cancer of children and young adults called NUT midline carcinoma. A while back Dr. French discovered the cancer protein that causes this disease, called BRD4-NUT. This discovery led to the development of inhibitors to BRD4 that are now being used to treat NUT midline carcinoma and this has expanded to the treatment of more common cancers in clinical trials. However, NUT midline carcinoma remains incurable. Recently, Dr. French discovered an additional and completely new protein that associates with BRD4-NUT, called a ZNF532, that helps BRD4-NUT cause this cancer. This research aims to understand how this new cancer protein contributes to the malignancy in this disease.

Modern therapies such as stem cell transplant and immune therapy have made high-risk neuroblastoma a survivable disease for some children, but little is known about the chronic health issues experienced by survivors. In order to ensure that future treatments address both the chance and the quality of cure, this consortium aims to examine the impact of neuroblastoma therapy on survivors' growth, pubertal development and long-term health. This grant is generously supported by 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.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Late Effects After High Risk Neuroblastoma – The LEAHRN Study. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Late Effects After High Risk Neuroblastoma – The LEAHRN Study. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Late Effects After High Risk Neuroblastoma – The LEAHRN Study. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Late Effects After High Risk Neuroblastoma – The LEAHRN Study. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Late Effects After High Risk Neuroblastoma – The LEAHRN Study. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Late Effects After High Risk Neuroblastoma – The LEAHRN Study. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Based on progress to date, Dr. Kalish was awarded a new grant in 2018 to fund an additional year of this Scholar grant. Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a genetic disorder that affects thousands of children. Up to 25% of children with BWS develop cancer, most commonly liver and kidney cancer. The same genetic changes that cause BWS also cause other types of cancer, however we do not currently understand how. Dr. Kalish's research is studying how genetic changes that cause BWS lead to cancer using a large group of BWS patients and models. The goal of this research is to use the knowledge gained from these models to improve care for patients with BWS and related cancers.

Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) is a cancer of the soft tissues. This disease often responds to chemotherapy, but in many patients available treatments fail. Dr. Keller's lab identified how a cancer-causing gene called Pax3:Foxo1 leads to treatment failure. Remarkably, Pax3:Foxo1 can be silenced by entinostat, a drug recently granted FDA breakthrough designation for breast cancer. Dr. Keller has found that entinostat dramatically improves sensitivity to chemotherapy, but efficacy in relapsed disease is unknown. This research aims to identify whether entinostat makes relapsed aRMS sensitive to chemotherapy, paving the way for an evidence-based clinical trial that could save lives.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Knoechel was awarded new grants in 2018 and 2019 to fund additional years and named the Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids St. Baldrick's Scholar. T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a cancer of childhood and young adults that originates from the white blood cells in the bone marrow. It is a disease for which the initial treatment is often unsuccessful and the disease comes back quickly. Dr. Knoechel is investigating the epigenetic state changes that are responsible for drug resistance in T-ALL to develop new treatment strategies for patients with relapsed leukemia.

At the age of 8, Emily was diagnosed with Stage III T-cell lymphoblastic non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and battled through three relapses. Her family prayed for a miracle but discovered Emily herself was the miracle, inspiring a community to come together to show love and change lives. She had a dream of starting a foundation to fund research and named it “Kures for Kids”. Today, Emily's family and friends carry on her dream and her mission in her memory through the Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids Fund, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a devastating childhood cancer of muscle. Using models, Dr. Langenau recently identified NOTCH as a critical driver of RMS growth. This research aims to examine NOTCH inhitors for anti-tumor effects in RMS, providing rationale for moving these drugs into phase I clinical trials.

T-lymphoblastic leukemia is a blood cancer with a higher rate of chemo-resistance and central nervous system involvement than B cell leukemia. Dr. Letterio's research utilizes models and molecular biology techniques to test how a novel molecular target controls the development of acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia in the bone marrow and the central nervous system. Success in this new area of research will offer new hope in the development of novel therapies against T-cell leukemia.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Lian was awarded a new grant in 2018 to fund an additional year of this International Scholar grant. MYCN-driven neuroblastoma accounts for about 30% of neuroblastomas and is associated with an extremely poor prognosis. Casein Kinase 2 (CK2) is an enzyme that is currently in clinical trials to treat multiple cancers. However, its efficacy on MYCN-driven neuroblastoma remains unknown. Dr. Lian's research aims to test if CK2 inhibition can serve as a new strategy to treat MYCN-driven neuroblastoma.

A portion of this grant was named for The Amanda Rozman Pediatric Cancer Research Fund, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund created in memory of Amanda Rozman and honors her courageous battle with neuroblastoma by funding promising new treatments and clinical trials in the area of translational research.

The causes of relapse of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) remain unknown and there are limited therapies for such children. Dr. Licht characterized a mutation of a gene present in 10-20% of children with relapsed ALL. A mutation in this gene that may cause relapse by reprograming cells to grow more rapidly and become chemotherapy-resistant. Using a new technique Dr. Licht's Do It for Dominic St. Baldrick’s Research Grant aims to determine how the mutation increases growth and causes drug resistance in order to devise new therapies for relapsed ALL.

The grant is named for the Do It for Dominic Hero Fund created in memory of Dominic Cairo. His family and friends continue to raise funds and support St. Baldrick’s to find cures for childhood cancers so no child ever has to go through what Dominic had to endure.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is an aggressive childhood cancer that often arises in muscle. Because of the poor survival, researchers are searching for genes underlying this cancer, with the hope of blocking them. A research scientist who studies how normal muscle forms found that a gene called MEST helps in defining muscle cell precursor identity. Dr. Linardic's lab had noticed that in rhabdomyosarcoma, MEST was highly expressed, suggesting that maybe MEST tricks cells into constantly growing. This project focuses on learning how MEST contributes to rhabdomyosarcoma, and how to block it.

By increasing physical activity, survivors may reduce their risk of obesity and chronic diseases, and improve their quality of life. Dr. Mendoza's research aims to examine the use of a wearable physical activity device, the Fitbit, paired with a Facebook group, to increase physical activity among teen childhood cancer survivors. This approach aims to harness new wearable technology and the widespread use of smart phones to use individual- and peer-influences to promote physical activity.

Childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the second most common leukemia in children, but causes the majority of leukemia related deaths. Current therapies do not adequately treat the disease and more than half of all children diagnosed with AML eventually relapse and die of their disease. Dr. Meshinchi recently performed a comprehensive genetic analysis of pediatric AML and identified mutations in CSF3R gene, the first pediatric-specific mutation in AML. This JJ's Angels St. Baldrick's Research Grant aims to study the function of this mutation to learn how it might be used as a therapeutic target.

This grant is named for the JJ's Angels Hero Fund created in memory of Julianna LaMonica to honor her joyful spirit and strength even in the midst of her battle with cancer. Her story continues to inspire so many to support the cause.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Moldovan was awarded new grants in 2018 and 2019 to fund additional years of this Scholar grant. Dr. Moldovan has identified a novel DNA damage repair mechanism that promotes the spread of leukemia cells. This research aims to investigate how leukemia cells fight DNA damage and potential therapies to target this mechanism.