Grants Search Results

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Dr. Resar and colleagues will develop new treatments for an aggressive type of childhood blood cancer called KMT2A-r leukemia. Blood cancer (leukemia) is the leading cause of death for all children with cancer. Although many childhood cancers can be cured with chemotherapy, KMT2A-r leukemia is frequently unresponsive to therapy in infants and children. In this cancer, the KMT2A-r gene is abnormally fused (or rearranged) next to another gene, which results in an abnormal fusion protein called KMT2A-r (for KMT2A-rearrangement). This fusion activates or "turns on" genes that cause normal blood cells to grow in an uncontrolled fashion and transform into aggressive leukemic cells. Dr. Resar and team has discovered that another gene, called HMGA1, is turned on by KMT2A-r fusions and required for leukemia cell growth. They have found that "turning off" HMGA1 is toxic to KMT2A-r leukemic cells. Dr. Resar and team will study how to determine precisely how KMT2A-r and HMGA1 causes leukemia in order to identify better therapies. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Linda Resar.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Medulloblastoma is a rare but aggressive childhood brain cancer. A drug called DFMO, already used to prevent relapse in another pediatric cancer called neuroblastoma, may help stop medulloblastoma cells from growing by putting them into a "senescent," or sleeping, state. However, senescent cells can remain in the body and later cause the tumor to return. Dr. Saulnier Sholler and colleagues will test whether adding a second drug, navitoclax, which can target the brain directly, can eliminate these senescent tumor cells. Dr. Saulnier Sholler will study this approach first in patient derived cells grown in the lab, and then in 3D tumor models. Dr. Saulnier Sholler expects that DFMO will slow tumor growth and that navitoclax will then kill the remaining cancer cells, leading to better outcomes. This will provide the foundation for a future clinical trial and offer new hope for children with medulloblastoma. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Giselle Saulnier Sholler.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Central nervous system tumors are the most common type of solid tumors in children, and medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor. Although survival has improved, many patients still face lasting problems with learning and memory. Dr. Ayad and colleagues will identify tumor cells that are responsive and resistant to standard treatment and test agents alone. In combination this could both slow tumor growth and protect healthy brain tissue. The results will be compared with patient data and tumor samples to connect experimental findings to tumors in children. Dr. Ayad and team will identify promising therapies that more precisely target medulloblastoma while minimizing damage to healthy brain tissue, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Nagi Ayad.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Treating brain tumors in children is challenging because many medicines cannot reach the tumor. A natural barrier formed by the brain's blood vessels protects the brain but also blocks helpful drugs, and there is still a lack of clear understanding of how this barrier behaves in different pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Straehla and colleagues will study blood vessels across a wide range of childhood brain and spinal cord tumors by selecting samples and building tissue microarrays, which will allow many small pieces of tissue to be analyzed together. The samples will be used to identify proteins found in tumor blood vessels, including potential treatment targets. By comparing findings across tumor types and linking them with patient details, Dr. Straehla and team will create one of the first maps of vascular changes in pediatric brain tumors, informing future therapies. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Joelle Straehla.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Pediatric sarcomas are rare but devastating cancers. Finding targetable vulnerabilities that could be shared amongst the many different types of childhood sarcomas would be beneficial for therapeutic development. Dr. Langdon and colleagues have found targeting the ability for sarcoma cells to shuttle proteins from the nucleus to the cytoplasm is effective against multiple types of childhood sarcomas. Dr. Langdon and colleagues will further explore one of these combinations in Ewing sarcoma. Dr. Langdon will explore new methods to more effectively model the effects of these compounds in 3D culture systems and their effectiveness in other organismal models. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Casey Langdon.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Dr. Foster and colleagues are currently working to develop new types of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatments for pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors, the leading cause of cancer death in children. CAR T-cells are engineered versions of a human's own T cells containing instructions for recognizing and killing cancerous tissue. Many centers create CAR T cells using a virus which permanently embeds into the DNA. However, this has posed a risk of different types of toxicities including severe neurologic issues. Dr. Foster and colleagues will test how good CAR T cells work when they have temporary instructions made from mRNA. This project will directly compare the viral and mRNA CAR T cells in models of a deadly brain cancer. The toxicity effects in humans will be minimized while maximizing the cancer-killing power. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Jessica Foster.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Lynch syndrome (LS) is an inherited condition that greatly increases the risk of developing cancer, often during childhood or early adulthood. These cancers develop because cells are unable to properly repair DNA mistakes, leading to the accumulation of many genetic changes. Some of these changes create new proteins, called neoantigens, that the immune system can recognize. Dr. Mardis believes this makes these tumors potential candidates for immunotherapy, a treatment that stimulates one's own immune system to destroy cancer cells. Dr. Mardis and colleagues will analyze genetic data to understand how immune systems interact with tumors. The findings will help guide the development of immune-based cancer treatments and prevention strategies for children with inherited cancer risk. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Elain Mardis.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a common soft tissue cancer affecting children and adolescents. Current therapies are very toxic and sometimes not effective. Therefore, less-toxic and more effective therapies are needed. Dr. Vaseva and colleagues will focus on laboratory testing of a therapy that targets genes and signaling pathways commonly deregulated in rhabdomyosarcoma. Dr. Vaseva's project will lead to development of new therapies for rhabdomyosarcoma patients and help doctors use menin-blocking drugs more effectively for infants with aggressive leukemia. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Angela Vaseva.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Dr. Rokita and colleagues will study how children's brain tumors differ at a molecular level across people from different genetic backgrounds. Tumors can make abnormal messages inside cells, similar to following the wrong instructions in a recipe, and these mistakes can help cancers grow or avoid treatment. By studying thousands of pediatric brain tumor samples from diverse populations, Dr. Rokita will identify whether these abnormal messages are shared by all children or differ by genetic ancestry. Dr. Rokita and colleagues study will ensure that future cancer tests and treatments are designed to work for all children, not just a subset, moving pediatric cancer research toward more fair and effective care. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Jo Lynn Rokita.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) is a rare and aggressive soft tissue cancer arising from muscle cells in children and young adults. In aRMS, the PAX3-FOXO1 gene fusion drives the most aggressive forms of the disease. Dr. Jonas and colleagues will develop a gene editing platform that disrupts the PAX3-FOXO1 fusion. Dr. Jonas and team will work to make aRMS more susceptible to other treatments like chemotherapy. To deliver these gene editing materials to aRMS cells, Dr. Jonas will leverage lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technologies. These incredibly tiny nanoscale containers protect gene editing tools as they are transported to the cancer. Dr. Jonus and colleagues will highlight the potential for developing new strategies to address high risk childhood cancers like aRMS. This work is being completed under the mentorship of Dr. Steven Jonas.

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.

Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD) cares for children diagnosed with cancer in southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina. Clinical trials at CHKD allow for children throughout their great region to access novel agents without traveling far from home. This grant supports the Clinical Research Team to ensure that more kids can be treated on clinical trials, often their best hope for a cure.

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

Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children's goal is to work towards providing personalized medicine to improve cancer outcomes for children. 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.

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and Manning Family Children's is committed to improving outcomes during and after cancer treatment. 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.

Golisano Children's Hospital is committed to providing excellent care to all children, adolescents and young adults who are being treated or have been treated with cancer in their region. 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.

Oklahoma Children's has joined the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium, a group of 50+ hospitals that work together to develop new treatments towards treating pediatric cancer. 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 UIC/Rush/Stroger Medical Center Children's Oncology Group Program offers pediatric patients the opportunity to enroll onto COG clinical trials, offering cutting edge treatment, optimal care, and comprehensive follow-up. 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 is named for the Do It for Dominic Fund which honors the memory of Dominic Cairo who battled non-Hodgkins lymphoma and was a hero to his school and community. His family and friends continue to raise funds and support research in the hopes that no child has to go through what Dominic endured.