St. Baldrick’s Foundation Supports Innovative Childhood Cancer Research Through One-of-a-Kind Grant

Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award provides scientists the freedom to focus on finding cures for childhood cancers through discovery

Pittsburgh, Penn. (May 2, 2018) – Innovative. Revolutionary. Game-changing. This is how recipients of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award describe the opportunity. This year’s U.S. or Canada recipient is Alex Kentsis, Ph.D., M.D., cancer biologist and pediatric oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York.

Dr. Kentsis will receive $250,000 a year for three years, with no research restrictions except to report on his results every six months. The award was presented before his peers at the annual meeting of the Association of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology (ASPHO) in Pittsburgh today.

Dr. Kentsis is interested in understanding why children get cancer and how the molecules controlling healthy cell development in childhood go awry.

“Like many pediatric oncologists, I am equally passionate to study the basic causes of childhood cancer as I am to develop new treatments for children with cancer,” said Dr. Kentsis. “That comes from the heartfelt satisfaction of dealing with ill children and parents and helping them through an exceptionally difficult time in life, combined with an appreciation of the intricacies of cancer biology and pediatric oncology.”

Working in his lab at MSK, Dr. Kentsis and his colleagues are closely examining both refractory blood cancers and solid tumors in the hope that defining how they are fundamentally caused can lead to better therapies for kids who currently have few or even no paths to survival.

For example, Dr. Kentsis and his colleagues recently found that the majority of childhood solid tumors, such as rhabdoid tumors, neuroblastomas, and medulloblastomas, activate a specific molecule called PGBD5, which can move around many pieces of human DNA. The scientists found that abnormal activity of PGBD5 promotes cancer growth, providing new targets and therapies for improved cancer treatments.

“I hope that further work will continue to advance both our basic scientific knowledge about how young people develop cancer, and to use that knowledge to discover and develop new treatments for children that are precise, curative, and safe,” Dr. Kentsis continued.

Dr. Kentsis’ work at MSK and innovated approach have also established a platform for functional cancer proteomics that will transform researchers’ ability to identify and target pathogenic molecular alterations in cancer. His team discovered a mechanism of therapy resistance in the majority of children and adults with acute myeloid leukemia and a new targeted approach to overcome resistance to chemotherapy.

“This one-of-a-kind award was created in memory of renowned oncologist Dr. Robert J. Arceci to support his idea of creating a new type of funding that would give researchers the freedom to find real and lasting cures,” said Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “Tragically, Dr. Arceci died before he could see his vision realized. St. Baldrick’s is honored to award this grant in his honor to Dr. Kentsis, and to provide him the opportunity to pursue whatever leads he uncovers that will lead to new discoveries.”

All nominations were reviewed by a committee made up of experts as far away as Paris and Hong Kong, including leaders of ASPHO, the Children’s Oncology Group and the International Society of Paediatric Oncology.

Learn more about St. Baldrick’s funded research on the St. Baldrick’s blog. To get involved visit www.StBaldricks.org, and connect with St. Baldrick’s on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Vimeo.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation believes that kids are special and deserve to be treated that way. St. Baldrick’s is leading the charge to take childhood back from cancer by funding some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts who are working to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us at StBaldricks.org to help support the best cancer treatments for kids.

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