Grants Search Results

Based on progress to date, Dr. Sayour was awarded a new grant in 2019 to fund an additional year of this Scholar grant. For children affected by medulloblastoma, the development of more effective and specific therapies that will not add further toxicity to existing treatments is critical in improving clinical outcomes. Dr. Sayour, the Hannah's Heroes St. Baldrick's Scholar, is investigating methods to harness the immune system to destroy these tumors though the use of nanoparticle vaccines. Nanoparticles can deliver messages to the immune system teaching it to kill cancer cells. Dr. Sayour is studying possible immune targets for nanoparticles in medulloblastoma, identifying underlying tumor resistance mechanisms, and establishing an optimum vaccine approach which he will evaluate in medulloblastoma models.

This grant is named for Hannah's Heroes, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund created in honor of Hannah Meeson and pays tribute to her fight by raising awareness and funding for all childhood cancers.

Pediatric cancer patients that have high-risk solid tumors can be very difficult to treat, particularly when their cancer has come back after previous treatment or has spread to multiple areas of the body. Dr. Stewart is looking for specific mutations in the tumors of these patients, and testing new cancer drugs to customize treatment to give patients with relapsed high-risk solid tumors with better treatment options.

This grant is made with generous support from the Invictus Fund, a St. Baldricks's Hero Fund which was created in memory of Holden Gilkinson. It honors Holden's unconquerable spirit in his battle with bilateral Wilms tumor by funding cures and treatments to mitigate side and late effects of childhood cancer.

Children continue to die from leukemia because malignant cells overcome chemotherapy by turning off normal genetic safety checkpoints. Dr. Nalepa has found that loss of the same checkpoints makes cancer growth dependent on other genes, which represent possible anti-cancer targets. Dr. Nalepa is investigating the weak points of the cancer cells, and testing these precision-medicine strategies in new models of childhood leukemia. Dr. Nalepa will use the results of this testing to generate personalized therapy driven by cancer-specific mutations that will be more effective and less toxic for children who suffer from leukemia.

The human immune system is made up of a complicated network of cells including cells that help fight diseases such as cancer, and cells that prevent the immune system from fighting disease. Key cells that stop immune fighter cells from destroying cancer are called T regulatory cells (Tregs). Dr. Schultz is studying a new way to stop these Tregs and allow the good fighter cells to resume their ability to destroy cancer cells. This therapy will allow immune cells to put up a stronger fight against cancer and lead patients with cancer closer to cure.

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.

Telomeres are special sequences of DNA located at the ends of every chromosome, and are essential to maintaining proper cellular function. If telomeres are damaged or degraded, they may cause healthy cells to transform into cancer cells. Dr. O'Sullivan and his team have discovered a protein called RAD51AP1 that appears at high levels in neuroblastoma tumor cells, and they have determined that having less of this protein stops telomere damage in cells. Dr. O'Sullivan is investigating the consequences and impact of RAD51AP1 inhibition on the proliferation and survival of neuroblastoma tumor cells.

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.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Brinkman was awarded a new grant in 2018 to fund an additional year of this Scholar grant. Survivors of childhood brain tumors are at-risk for problems with developing social relationships. These problems can lead to feelings of isolation, loneliness and social anxiety. Dr. Brinkman believes this is due to changes in a survivor's brain due to their cancer and its treatment. Dr. Brinkman's research aims to examine how the structure and function of the brain is related to survivors' understanding of social information and their social behavior. These results aim to help with the identification of treatments for social problems.

This new award is generously supported by the Team Campbell Foundation, established in memory of Campbell Hoyt, who courageously battled anaplastic ependymoma, a rare cancer of the brain and spine for five years. Its mission is to improve the lives of families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis through raising awareness, funding research and providing psycho-social enrichment opportunities.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Chertok was awarded a new grant in 2018 to fund an additional year of this Scholar grant. The immune system efficiently fights infections in the normal brain, but malfunctions in brain tumors. Dr. Chertok hopes to empower the immune system to fight tumors by delivering agents that alter immune system activities. To do this, Dr. Chertok's research aims to develop tiny devices the size of blood cells that carry agents in the blood stream and release them with pre-designed timing after localized activation from outside the body. These devices will be used to modify how the immune system responds to brain tumors. This approach could lead to safe and effective therapies for children with brain cancer.

A portion of this grant is generously supported by Griffin's Guardians, a St. Baldrick's partner. Griffin's Guardians was created by the Engles in memory of their son, Griffin. Their mission is to provide support and financial assistance to children battling cancer in Central New York, raise awareness about pediatric cancer and provide funding for research.

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.

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.

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.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Petrosiute was awarded new grants in 2018 and 2019 to fund additional years of this Scholar grant. Despite successes in treating children with certain types of cancers, outcome remains poor for children with advanced solid tumors, including brain tumors and sarcomas. Dr. Petrosiute has investigated a protein called Cdk5 in medulloblastoma, finding that tumors become vulnerable to immune cell killing when Cdk5 function is disrupted, and this disruption, which can be achieved by drugs currently being tested in Phase I clinical trials, was correlated with a diminished production of immune-protective molecule called PD-L1 on tumor cells. This research aims to identify the molecular mechanisms of Cdk5 in order to enhance immunotherapy treatments.

A portion of this grant was named for The Rebecca Allison Meyer Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund created to honor the memory of the joyful and spunky little girl who courageously battled brain cancer. Rebecca's legacy lives on in the funding of promising glioblastoma research.

Awarded at the Case Western Reserve University, and transferred to Vilnius University.

Burkitt lymphoma is an aggressive cancer that occurs in children. Treatment requires intensive chemotherapy, which can have significant side effects. Targeted therapies, which kill cancer cells but spare healthy cells, are urgently needed. As the Jack’s Pack – We Still Have His Back St. Baldrick’s Scholar, Dr. Roth is investigating a promising new drug that kills Burkitt lymphoma by attacking a protein that the tumor needs to survive. This drug may treat Burkitt lymphoma with less side effects than chemotherapy.

This grant is named in memory of Jack Klein who bravely battled Burkitts Lymphoma. Love for this special boy inspired family and friends to rally around him as “Jack’s Pack” with their cry, “We Got Jack’s Back”.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Aune was awarded new grants in 2017 and 2018 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. Survival from pediatric cancer approaches 80%, but long-term survivors have alarming rates of heart disease as adults. Dr. Aune's lab has developed models to study how pediatric cancer therapies affect the heart. This research aims to determine the potential for new chemotherapy agents to damage the heart. These strategies will lead to a better quality of life for children who survive cancer.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Bandopadhayay was awarded new grants in 2017 and 2018 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain cancer of childhood. As the Hannah's Heroes St. Baldrick's Scholar, Dr. Bandopadhayay and her lab have shown that the drug JQ1 can hinder the cancer causing effects of a gene called MYC in one of the most aggressive types of medulloblastoma. This project aims to identify drugs which can be added to JQ1 to improve effectiveness. The results of this project will help determine combination therapies that can be used to treat children with this aggressive type of brain tumor.

This grant is named for Hannah’s Heroes, a St. Baldrick’s Hero Fund created in honor of Hannah Meeson and pays tribute to her fight by raising awareness and funding for all childhood cancers because kids like Hannah “are worth fighting for.”

Based on progress to date, Dr. Barbieri was awarded new grants in 2017 and 2018 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. More than half of the patients with high-risk neuroblastoma will relapse despite intensive multimodal therapy. Treatments for these patients are challenging given disease heterogeneity, drug resistance, and toxicity. Dr. Barbieri’s project aims to develop novel targeted therapies for children with high-risk neuroblastoma whose disease is unresponsive to conventional therapies. By better understanding the metabolic changes occurring during the development of neuroblastoma, we will improve the clinical efficacy of current differentiating therapies for this aggressive disease.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Blanc was awarded new grants in 2017 and 2018 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. Diamond Blackfan Anemia is a rare genetic disease characterized by a dramatic decrease in red blood cells. Patients affected by this condition are more prone to develop cancers, like cancer of the bone. Dr. Blanc, Allied World St. Baldrick's Scholar, is studying the mechanism by which this cancer develops in these patients. This research aims to help understand how these tumors form, provide new targets for treatment, and improve cure rates.

This grant is named for the Allied World team, whose employees have raised more than $1.1 million since 2008 for life-saving research through the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Cheshier was awarded new grants in 2017 and 2018 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. Malignant primary brain tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and are a leading cause of death. Dr. Cheshier, Ty Louis Campbell Foundation St. Baldrick’s Scholar, aims to treat these cancers by stimulating the immune system to "eat" the cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone. This strategy combines a newly developed antibody protein that stimulates the "eating" cells of the immune system with known antibody proteins that can target brain tumors. Dr. Cheshier will then immediately translate these novel treatment combinations into clinical trials in children with malignant brain tumors. Awarded at Stanford University, and transferred to University of Utah.

This grant is named for the Ty Louis Campbell Foundation, created in memory of Ty Louis Campbell, and funds innovative research and clinical trials specifically geared toward the treatment of the deadliest childhood cancers.

Based on progress to date, Dr. de Blank was awarded new grants in 2017 and 2018 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. Although therapies have improved for children with brain tumors, survival for malignant disease remains poor. Most of these children will have a recurrence of their tumor in the area of their original tumor, likely due to a tumor that was never fully removed. Dr. de Blank is investigating a new radiographic tool to diagnose brain tumors prior to surgery and define the extent of the tumor's invasion. This tool aims to improve outcomes by identifying children at risk for tumor recurrence and poor outcomes.