Grants Search Results

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.

This consortium is conducting the first multi-institutional, genomics-based precision medicine trial for children with relapsed, refractory, and very high-risk leukemias. They are deploying new technologies to sequence all currently known cancer-promoting genes in an individual child's leukemia. Next, guided by a multi-disciplinary group of leukemia experts, they will make treatment recommendations based upon the genomic findings in the child's leukemia and the availability of a relevant targeted drugs for children. Results from this project will define the types and frequency of specific mutations in children with relapsed/refractory leukemia, and assess the impact of the treatment recommendations on their clinical care. The consortium will also perform laboratory-based studies to determine the response to therapy in lab models derived from the patient's leukemia cells, to identify new drug targets for these children. Data generated in this proposal will inform future genomically-based targeted therapy trials for children with leukemia with the long-term goal of precise, safe, and more efficacious therapies for children with these diseases. Funds administered by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

This grant is named for Hannah’s Heroes, a Hero Fund established to honor Hannah Meeson. At age 6 she was diagnosed with anaplastic medulloblastoma. After a relapse and additional treatment, Hannah currently shows no evidence of disease. Throughout her treatments, Hannah never complained and remained positive and happy. This fund 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. 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.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Shah was awarded a new grant in 2019 to fund an additional year of this Scholar grant. Finding a donor for a bone marrow transplant can be difficult for patients that are mixed-race or from an ethnic minority, as bone-marrow comes from donors that are genetically compatible. Dr. Shah is developing a method utilizing hemogenic endothelial cells (HEC) that will have the same effect, without requiring bone marrow from a matched donor. Dr. Shah is investigating FDA-approved drugs that stimulate the HECs to produce a novel and safe alternative to bone marrow-generated Hematopoietic stem cells, which will potentially treat childhood blood cancers. Awarded at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and transferred to Nationwide Children's Hospital.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

Dr. Wechsler and his team study how normal white blood cells turn into leukemia cells. They have discovered that a protein called CRM1 is directly involved in turning on specific genes that cause leukemia to develop. Dr. Wechsler is studying this previously unrecognized function of CRM1 by identifying other proteins that are required for CRM1 to turn on. This research aims to allow Dr. Wechsler to design new drugs that can selectively target leukemia cells and increase cure rates.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Ney was awarded a new grant in 2018 to fund an additional year of this Fellow award. Many cancers include groups of cells that are relatively inactive, meaning that they divide less frequently than other cells and use fewer nutrients from their environment. This inactivity often makes these cells less susceptible to chemotherapy because these cells do not take in chemotherapy drugs due to their slow growth. As a result, these cells can remain present after treatment, potentially leading to disease recurrence. Dr. Ney is studying these inactive cells and their behavior, to more fully understand cancer and how to better treat it.

The initial grant was made with generous support from Tough Like Ike, a St. Baldrick's partner which was created in honor of cancer fighter Issac "Ike" Yarmon. The organization raises awareness and funds for leukemia and childhood cancer research.

This additional award is named for Ben's Green Drakkoman Fund, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund created in memory of Ben Stowell who battled an aggressive form of osteosarcoma yet lived life with courage and an inspiring determination to survive. The fund is named after the superhero he created to help him better understand his body's fight against cancer.

Children with aggressive leukemia frequently require a bone marrow transplant to achieve a cure. Some children have a small number of leukemia cells remaining before receiving a bone marrow transplant, which makes it very likely that their leukemia will recur. Dr. Taraseviciute, the Team Abby St. Baldrick's Fellow, is studying the power of the immune system to fight any remaining leukemia cells after bone marrow transplantation. To do this, Dr. Taraseviciute and her team are making T cells (a special type of immune cell) that can recognize and eliminate leukemia cells to provide a chance for a cure for children who have already received a bone marrow transplant.

This grant is generously supported by TEAM ABBY Gives, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund. Abby was diagnosed with Pre-B ALL when she was almost five years old. She had a successful bone marrow transplant, but battle battled graft vs. host disease (GVHD) for years. Abby and her treatment team worked hard over many years to keep the GVHD in check. Sadly, Abby passed away on October 19, 2021. This fund unites the incredible support of family and friends in Abby's memory and inspires others to join the fight for cures and better treatments.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

Young age at diagnosis and intense therapy result in multiple late effects for Neuroblastoma survivors. The majority of High-Risk Neuroblastoma HR-NBL survivors have striking growth failure. Dr. Mostoufi-Moab is investigating the mechanism of growth failure in high-risk neuroblastoma survivors. Dr. Mostoufi-Moab is employing state-of-the art imaging measures of the growth plate to study and understand the mechanism of growth failure in high-risk neuroblastoma survivors, and target future intervention trials.

The interaction between two important cancer-related proteins called MDM4 and TOP2A may cause cancer and contribute to disease progression. Dr. Zhou is studying the regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A to identify small-molecule inhibitors (agents) that can block the MDM4-TOP2A interaction, leading to inhibition of these two proteins. The results of these studies will provide important clues to help scientists develop novel methods and drugs to specifically and simultaneously target TOP2A and MDM4 for treatment of pediatric cancer patients.

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.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric LEukemiA Precision-based Therapy (LEAP) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.

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.

This grant funds a student to complete work in pediatric oncology research for the summer. The experience may encourage them to choose childhood cancer research as a specialty.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA.

Relatively little is currently known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms of medulloblastoma spread throughout the spinal fluid. Dr. Keller's preliminary findings show that medulloblastoma tumor cells actively migrate to the surface of the covering of the brain and spine, rather than arriving passively. Dr. Keller is investigating the efficacy of stopping the tumor cells from migrating to the brain and spine surfaces, which, if successful, will provide a rationale for future clinical trials.