Grants Search Results

Based on progress to date, Dr. Green was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Fellow award. High-grade gliomas (HGG) are brain tumors that are usually fatal in children. Dr. Green's work has recently shown promising results using a new medicine called Selinexor in laboratory models of HGG. Dr. Green, the Luke’s Army Pediatric Cancer Research Fund St. Baldrick’s Fellow, believes Selinexor works by restoring the function of proteins that suppress the tumor and acts as the brakes in cancer cells. Dr. Green's team is testing Selinexor for safety in children with various brain and solid tumors, and to see if it can extend survival.

A portion of this grant is named for the Luke's Army Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. Luke Ungerer brought smiles and sunshine wherever he went with plenty to share with everyone. He battled a brain tumor with a positive spirit and inspired others with his courage in his short life. This fund was created to carry on Luke’s legacy of positivity with the hope that it will ripple across many lives for many years to come. Awarded at Boston Children's Hospital and transferred to University of Colorado.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Forlenza was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Fellow award. Neuroblastoma patients can be treated with a molecule called 3F8, which attaches to tumor cells to tell the immune system that they should be killed. Dr. Forlenza, the David's Warriors St. Baldrick's Fellow, is researching how a part of the immune system, called natural killer (NK) cells, influences the success or failure of 3F8. Currently, researchers know that the ability of the NK cells to respond to 3F8 can be inhibited by interactions with the tumor cells. This research is testing a second molecule to block these interactions, aiming to improve NK function and increase tumor killing.

This grant is named for the "David's Warriors" Hero Fund created in memory of David Heard to honor the spirit in which he lived, embracing life until the very end.

Pediatric glioblastoma (GBM) is a devastating tumor and most patients with this diagnosis will not survive two years. Adolescent patients with GBM often have mutation of the ATRX gene. As treatments for cancer are becoming increasingly personalized, mutated ATRX genes allow for a promising target for treatment in patients with GBM. The goal of Dr. Koshmann's work is to determine if mutated ATRX genes create a susceptibility to certain DNA-damaging treatments.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Parihar was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Fellow award. Some children with cancer have solid tumors, or collections of abnormally growing cells, within their organs. These collections are made up of mostly tumor cells, but also of other cells that help the tumor hide from the bodys immune system and grow. Dr. Parihar is working to creating a new method to destroy these other cells found within solid tumors so that they cant help the tumor grow. This research aims to train the immune system to specifically recognize and kill these other cells, with the ultimate goal of curing the child of cancer.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Stieglitz was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Fellow award. Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a type of blood cancer that affects young children and is very difficult to treat. Currently available treatments cure only half of these patients, with some children experiencing rapid death, while others get better with very little treatment. Unfortunately, no one knows why this happens. Dr. Stieglitz is using the latest breakthroughs in scientific technology to determine why some patients benefit from treatment while others do not.

Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer. Some types of leukemia cells have abnormal genetic material. One of these abnormalities is known to affect the CALM protein, which is essential for the cell to obtain iron from the body that is necessary for cell growth. Dr. Heath believes that leukemias with the abnormal CALM-AF10 protein will not have enough iron and by reducing the amount of iron available to them, the leukemia cells may be affected. This research project attempts to prove that these two mutations can cooperate to form leukemia. Dr. Heath also attempts to show that mutations of WT1 cause cells to function abnormally, which contribute to the development of leukemia. Preliminary work shows that cells with WT1 mutations grow faster and more aggressively. The first model to study the cooperation of FLT3/ITD and WT1 mutations has been created. Ultimately, if WT1 mutations are shown to contribute to the formation of leukemia, the development of a drug that interferes with WT1 could improve cure rates in patients with AML.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Sabnis was awarded a new grant in 2015 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Cure rates for children and adolescents with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood, remain poor despite decades of research. While researchers know the mutation, PAX3-FOXO1, that causes an aggressive form of this cancer, getting rid of the mutation does not kill cancer cells. Since PAX3-FOXO1 drives cells to create many new proteins, Dr. Sabnis hypothesizes that these cells depend on buffers that keep proteins from misfolding or clumping into toxic aggregates. This project tests whether blocking HSP70, one such buffer, specifically and effectively kills sarcoma cells. Understanding this vulnerability will open the way for better treatments.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Ladle was awarded a new grant in 2015 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. While the body's immune system is capable of attacking cancer, many factors prevent this from happening. The goal of Dr. Ladle's research is to develop a vaccine to be given to patients that activates their own immune system to treat their cancer. The project focuses on how the body regulates the immune system to normally ignore cancer. New drugs are being developed that could help take the brakes off the immune system and allow it to recognize and attack cancer. Combining these drugs with a cancer vaccine could provide the boost needed for immune therapies to effectively treat pediatric cancers.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Schuback was awarded a new grant in 2015 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Dr. Schuback's research aims to improve treatment for children with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a type of blood cancer. This work focuses on characterizing the scope of mutations in a specific gene, ETV6, in children with AML. Preliminary work indicates that patients with such mutations are more likely to have a poor outcome. This project hopes to use the mutations in ETV6 as a marker to identify patients at high risk of relapse at the beginning of their treatment, in order to predetermine therapies that are most likely to succeed.

AML is a devastating form of leukemia. Therapy for AML is highly toxic and, still, only a minority of patients survive. This project aims to develop new, less toxic, and more effective therapies for AML. Dr. Salstrom hopes to use models to determine exactly which therapies will work best for which patients. This approach, called personalized medicine, allows researchers to treat each child's individual leukemia in the most effective and safest way possible.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Bona was awarded a new grant in 2015 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. The goal of this research is to identify social factors that contribute to childhood cancer mortality, and symptoms and suffering during treatment. While we know that poverty is associated with poor health in pediatric primary care and children with chronic illness, we don't know how poverty impacts the health of children with cancer. Dr. Bona will develop a screening tool which can be used to identify childhood cancer families at-risk for material hardship, and to study the relationship between poverty and childhood cancer outcomes, with the ultimate goal of designing ways to improve pediatric cancer outcomes related to poverty.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Choo, the Tap Cancer Out St. Baldrick’s Fellow, was awarded a new grant in 2015 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Ewing sarcoma is a bone and soft tissue cancer that occurs in adolescent and young adults (AYAs). When the cancer spreads (metastasis), survival falls below 30% despite aggressive chemotherapy and surgery. Fortunately, promising data has identified certain genes that are specifically turned on in metastatic Ewing cells. By developing targeted therapy against these gene products, Dr. Choo hopes to effectively treat Ewing sarcoma. In addition, targeting this unique pathway may reduce the use of conventional toxic chemotherapy agents that can cause cancer themselves. Ultimately, this research may help reduce both morbidity and save countless children with metastatic Ewing sarcoma.

This grant recognizes the partnership with Tap Cancer Out, a jiu-jitsu based 501(c)(3) nonprofit raising awareness and funds for cancer fighting organizations on behalf of the grappling community.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Velasquez was awarded a new grant in 2015 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Cancer treatments consisting of the infusion of T cells (one component of the patient's own immune system) that recognize CD19 (a molecule present on many blood cancers) have shown promise in early clinical studies. However, not all patients currently benefit from CD19-specific T-cell infusions. Dr. Velasquez's lab is conducting studies to optimize a new genetic approach with the ultimate goal of developing a clinical study to address this issue.

Many children with neuroblastoma die of their disease, and treatments sometimes cause lethal side-effects. Dr. Aguilar is studying a family of natural substances called sphingadienes, found in soybeans, that are able to kill colon, prostate and other cancer cell types. While initial studies indicate they may kill neuroblastoma cells too, this study is the first step in exploring sphingadienes as a new treatment option for children with neuroblastoma.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Allen-Rhoades was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Osteosarcoma is a bone cancer that affects children, adolescents and young adults. Patients have better survival if the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body. This project aims to develop a blood test that can detect the cancer and determine if it has spread to other areas. This test will be more sensitive and easier to use than current methods, and will ultimately help improve the survival of children with osteosarcoma.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Annesley, Tap Cancer Out St. Baldrick’s Fellow, was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant cancer of the white blood cells. Each year in the United States, approximately 10,000 adults and 1,000 children are diagnosed with AML. Only about 50% of these patients will be cured with current chemotherapy. Recently, mutations of genes have been shown to contribute to the development of AML, such as the FLT3/ITD mutation. Another mutation, Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) has been demonstrated in about 10% of patients with AML, but its effect on the development of leukemia is not well understood. WT1 and FLT3/ITD mutations can occur together, and patients with both mutations have dismal survival rates of 15%. This project attempts to prove that these two mutations can work together and may contribute to the formation of leukemia. It also attempts to show that mutations of WT1 cause cells to function abnormally, directly contributing to the development of leukemia. Early research shows that cells with WT1 mutations grow faster and more aggressively. Researchers have created the first model to study the interaction between FLT3/ITD and WT1 mutations. Ultimately, if WT1 mutations are shown to contribute to the formation of leukemia, the development of a drug that interferes with WT1 could improve cure rates in patients with AML.

This grant recognizes the partnership with Tap Cancer Out, a jiu-jitsu based 501(c)(3) nonprofit raising awareness and funds for cancer fighting organizations on behalf of the grappling community.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Gowda was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. This project studies the regulation of the function of the Ikaros protein. The loss of function of the Ikaros protein is associated with the development of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that does not respond well to current therapies. Dr. Gowda is studying the way that Ikaros prevents the development of leukemia and to explain why the loss Ikaros activity leads to the development of leukemia. Thus, the results of this project will give insight into the mechanism of leukemia development. The more researchers learn about the way a cell changes to a cancer cell, the easier it will be to find new and more effective treatment options for patients with childhood leukemia.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Knoechel was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Approximately 15% of children with leukemia have a form known as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Current chemotherapy initially works very well in this type of ALL, however many of these patients have a recurrence early in their treatment. There are factors that are known to add to the development of a cancer and how well drugs work against it. These factors are known as chromatin regulators. Birgit Knoechel, M.D., Ph.D., Porter Dowling St. Baldrick's Fellow, is studying a chromatin regulator, BRD4, and how effective it is in reducing the drug resistance in T-cell ALL. These findings, along with a newly developed inhibitor that specifically targets BRD4, may provide a new approach to the treatment of T-cell ALL. This grant is named for Porter Dowling, in recognition for raising more than $1.2 million for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Davis was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Spread of tumor cells from their original site to distant areas (metastasis) is the most deadly aspect of cancer, and often occurs through lymphatic vessels. New vessels can grow around tumors to facilitate spread. To prevent this, we must understand why new vessels form, and the design that allows tumor cells to travel. Dr. Davis is studying etsrp, a protein believed to control lymphatic growth, which is therefore a novel therapeutic target for preventing metastasis in childhood cancer.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Wu was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an optional third year of this fellowship. Dr. Wu studies a kind of blood cancer called ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia), one of the most common types of childhood cancer. One of the main treatments for ALL is steroid therapy - not the steroids you take for bodybuilding, but the steroids you take if your asthma or your "bad back" is getting worse. This research is to understand why steroid treatment sometimes does not work in ALL. The main goal is to improve steroid treatment, to cure more patients.

This additional grant is named for Tap Cancer Out and recognizes the partnership with the jiu-jitsu based 501(c)(3) nonprofit who raises awareness and funds for cancer fighting organizations on behalf of the grappling community.

The original grant was named for Dr. Jeffrey Lipton in recognition of his tenure on the Board of Directors and in honor of his leadership, support and advocacy for childhood cancer research.