Grants Search Results

Leukemia is a leading cause of death in children. Exciting new treatment strategies direct immune cells against B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) cells, however they are not effective for many patients, particularly those with relapsed disease. Why these therapies work in some children but not others is not understood. There is evidence that leukemia cells protect themselves by creating an environment around themselves (the immune microenvironment) that inhibits immune cells. Data indicates that B-ALL cells may impair a process called emergency myelopoiesis (EM), inhibiting normal immune cell function, if the leukemia cells express a protein called Siglec15. Dr. Porter and colleagues will determine if B-ALL impairs EM, whether that is dependent on Siglec15 and if EM can be restored to improve the immune response to leukemia cells. Dr. Porter and team will demonstrate that impaired EM plays an important role in the cell's development.

This grant is funded by and named for Emily Beazley's Kures for Kids Fund, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund. 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.