Promising Grant for Osteosarcoma Research Given in Memory of Austin Child

Austin, Texas – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, is proud to announce that the Sweet Caroline Hero Fund, created in honor of Caroline Richards, from Austin, Texas, will support lifesaving childhood cancer research at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

With generous support from the Sweet Caroline Hero Fund, Dr. Lara Davis at OHSU will use the grant to continue her research focused on finding a cure for osteosarcoma, the most common type of bone cancer in children. Dr. Davis and her team are examining different types of immune cells in over 100 osteosarcoma tumor samples to try and identify patterns to discover how well a patient might do on a standard treatment protocol. The research team will also look at biopsies from patients before and after immune therapy and then try to boost responses to immune therapy with a targeted drug. By understanding how the immune system sees or doesn’t see osteosarcoma cells, they hope to predict which patients will benefit from different types of immune therapy and which patients will need other drugs added to their treatment regimen for the best outcome.

The Sweet Caroline Fund was created through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation Hero Fund program to honor the memory of Caroline Richards who was diagnosed in 2014 with osteosarcoma in her right arm when she was 11 years old. She persevered through rigorous treatments with a giving spirit and a contagious smile, always thinking of how to make others happy or laugh. Caroline sadly lost her battle a year later.

“Caroline loved to make people smile and I think if she were here today this grant would make her smile, knowing that it is going to support research that will help other kids affected by cancer,” shared Caroline’s mother, Lauren. “We are forever grateful to our friends, family and community who have continued this fight in her memory and have generously donated to our St. Baldrick’s Hero Fund. This grant wouldn’t be possible without you. We will not give up until a cure is found for this disease, because every child deserves to live a long and healthy life.”

Since 2014, the Sweet Caroline Hero Fund has raised more than $205,000 to support the most promising childhood cancer research focused on finding cures for osteosarcoma. Please visit the Sweet Caroline Hero Fund page to make a donation.

St. Baldrick’s Hero Funds are an ongoing way for friends, family members and groups to donate or raise funds to honor a loved one. To learn more about the program visit the St. Baldrick’s Hero Fund page.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
Every 2 minutes a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of pediatric cancer research grants, is on a mission to defy childhood cancers by supporting the most promising research to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. When you give to St. Baldrick’s, you don’t just give to one institution–you give to virtually every institution treating kids with cancer across the U.S. and beyond. As a leader in the pediatric cancer community, St. Baldrick’s works tirelessly to ensure that current and future children diagnosed with cancer will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment from the best leaders in the pediatric oncology field. Join us at StBaldricks.org and help #GiveKidsALifetime.

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