Grants Search Results

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the second most common type of leukemia in children. Despite treatment advancements, over 30% of children with AML cannot be cured. In AML cell populations, the leukemia stem cells (LSCs) make up a small part of the total, but are specially important: they provide a steady supply of new AML cells and are unfortunately very resistant to killing with drugs. Dr. Sui and colleagues believe that if they are able to kill the LSCs, they could cure patients with AML. Dr. Su has found that an enzyme called METTL1 is important in allowing LSCs to safely stay anchored in the bone marrow and identified a drug that inhibits METTL1 and eliminates LSCs. Dr. Su's study explores why METTL1 is important for LSCs and investigates how Dr. Su and team could best use their in-house developed METTL1 inhibitor to treat childhood AML using model systems. If successful, this research could pave the way for a clinical trial, offering hope for improved outcomes for childhood AML patients.

This grant is generously supported by Double Deckers Destroy AML, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund. Joel and Seth were not only identical twins but best friends. In an ironic twist of fate, both boys were diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia just three months apart. With the overlapping diagnoses and treatments, the family was separated for months at a time and looked forward to days when they could be together at home. Joel and Seth both received bone marrow transplants and endured complications from the procedures. Sadly, both boys relapsed. Surrounded by their loving family, Joel died in November 2017 at the age of three, followed by Seth in May, 2019 when he was four years old. The twins were named as 2020 Ambassadors for St. Baldrick's so their story can continue to inspire many. The Double Deckers Destroy AML Hero Fund was established because the Decker family strongly believes more research is needed for AML, especially when the disease has relapsed. They want to support research so other families won’t have to say goodbye too soon.

The ultimate goal of this project is to define the safest, most effective therapies for children and young adults with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), which aligns with St. Baldrick's mission to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. LCH is a blood cancer most common in children that creates destructive inflammatory lesions that can be fatal. LCH is caused by mutations activating the MAPK growth pathway in developing blood cells. Current front-line therapy fails to cure over 50% of patients with disseminated disease, and safe and effective options for subsequent therapy is not known. High-dose chemotherapy can be effective, but is toxic. MAPK inhibitor therapy alone does not appear to be durable based on early trials. Dr. Allen and colleagues hypothesize that MAPK inhibition will make cells more sensitive to chemotherapy. Dr. Allen will therefore test safety and efficacy of a new approach of combining chemotherapy with targeted MAPK inhibitor therapy.

The study of genetic disease of cancer predisposition has served as a model for understanding cancer in general. Fanconi anemia is a rare genetic disease of failed blood production and cancer proneness, including leukemia and head and neck cancer. The genes and encoded proteins participate in DNA repair. However, an examination of cancer databases of DNA sequence shows that Fanconi genes are mutated in up to 30% of all head and neck cancers in non-Fanconi patients. Dr. Kupfer and colleagues have studied one particular mutation that resides in the Fanconi FANCD2 gene that interrupts its protein binding to another important gene BLM, which also participates in DNA repair. This proposal will seek to study the normal function of the FANCD2-BLM interaction in the cell and the consequences of its disruption. Dr. Kupfer also seeks to identify ways disruption of the normal pathway will render cancers vulnerable to molecular targeting to improve therapeutics.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Aziz-Bose was awarded a new grant in 2026 to fund an additional year of this Fellow grant.

Even after being cured, childhood cancer survivors face challenges to living a healthy life, and one major challenge is heart disease. Heart health is closely linked to healthy eating, but many survivors cannot eat as healthily as they want because they don't have access to, or can't afford, healthy foods ("food insecurity"). Dr. Aziz-Bose will enroll survivors in this study to ask what they are eating, and understand whether they experience food insecurity and other conditions that put heart health at risk. Survivors will also be interviewed for their ideas about how to support healthy eating, including the best ways to directly give families healthy foods, an approach called "food is medicine." Using this information, Dr. Aziz-Bose will fine-tune a "food is medicine" intervention that she developed, and test it on a larger scale to see its impact on food insecurity and heart health. The goal being to understand and tackle barriers to healthy eating so all survivors can have the best health possible.

This grant is funded by Allied World, a global provider of insurance and reinsurance solutions.

This grant supports a Spanish-speaking Clinical Research Assistant to ensure that more Hispanic children can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a specialist to ensure that more kids can be enrolled in clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a pediatric-focused Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a specialist to ensure that more kids can be enrolled in clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports pediatric-focused Clinical Research Assistants to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

The El Paso region faces unique challenges in terms of delivery of childhood cancer care due to its unique population in underserved border region. This grant supports Clinical Research Associates to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

The Loma Linda University Children's Hospital (LLUCH) services a four-county region (San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo and Mono Counties). For the 1.3 million children living in this region, 25% come from families that live in poverty and are uninsured. This population represents 80% of the children treated here. This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure. The participation of this patient population in clinical trials is critical for the identification of therapies that can alleviate this health disparity and effectively treat all children.

The Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Program at Montefiore Medical Center has grown significantly since it's creation 2 years ago. The goal of this program is to bring early phase clinical trials to patients with relapsed and refractory cancers in our underserved, resource poor community, as well as to patients across the NY-NJ-CT (tristate) area. This grant supports a Clinical Research Coordinator to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

This grant supports a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure. At Children's Hospital of Michigan many patients are of minority background, and historically minorities have not always had the same access to health care. Funding from St. Baldrick's Foundation will help the institution continue to have excellent CRA support in the clinical trials office for every patient.