Grants Search Results

Based on progress to date, Dr. Parameswaran was awarded new grants in 2019 and 2020 to fund additional years of this Scholar grant. Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is the second most common acute leukemia in children, and current treatment strategies are inadequate to cure AML. Dr. Parameswaran is developing a new strategy using Natural Killer cells, which are a type of white blood cells with potential to kill cancer cells. Cancer cells often produce a protein that makes Natural Killer cells less active, which helps the cancer cells escape from NK cell-mediated killing. Dr. Parameswaran and her team are developing methods to stop this NK cell inactivation and thereby improve NK cell function to treat pediatric AML. This grant is generously supported by Rays of Hope, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund created in memory of Rayanna Marrero. She was a happy 3 year old when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She battled ALL and won but a treatment induced secondary cancer claimed her life at age eight. Rayanna had an amazing attitude and loved life. She, like so many kids facing childhood cancer, did not allow it to define who she was. This Hero Fund aspires to give hope to kids fighting cancer through research.

Drug resistance remains a major obstacle in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Instead of targeting only the leukemia cells, Dr. Kim is studying the protective non-leukemia cells that are located in the bone marrow, creating a safe haven for drug-resistant ALL cells. Dr. Kim's team has identified a molecule in leukemia cells that allows leukemia cells to remain in the bone marrow and shelters them from the otherwise toxic effects of chemotherapy. Dr. Kim's Johnny Crisstopher Children’s Charitable Foundation St. Baldrick’s Research Grant is testing a novel inhibitor of this molecule to overcome drug resistance. The mission of the Johnny Crisstopher Children's Charitable Foundation is to raise awareness of pediatric cancer and provide funds for research, treatment, and - ultimately - a cure. Famed illusionist Criss Angel founded the foundation in 2008 for charitable causes but it has now become his life's mission since his son, Johnny Crisstopher was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015 at 20 months old.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Sinha was awarded a new grant in 2018 to fund an additional year of this Fellow award. Myelodysplastic syndrome is a rare disease that affects the stem cells in the bone marrow, which causes decreased blood counts. It is also known to be a precursor to acute myeloid leukemia. Cellular mutations are present in majority of these cases, however the mechanisms of development of these mutations are still not clear. Dr. Sinha is studying these interactions, in order to identify new prognostic factors and therapeutic options for these patients. Awarded at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and transferred to University of Oklahoma Health and Science Center.

Childhood brain tumors are frequently quite different than those of adults. Dr. Eck's For the Love of Jack St. Baldrick'’s Research Grant aims to find new “targeted” therapies for low-grade astrocytomas (a type of brain tumor) in children that are caused by a mutation in a protein called BRAF. BRAF mutations are common in cancer, and drugs have been developed that are effective in some tumors caused by one type of BRAF mutation. Unfortunately, these drugs do not work on the BRAF mutation found most often in pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Eck is using detailed information about the molecular structure of the BRAF mutation found in pediatric brain tumors to discover new drugs that specifically target this cause of brain tumors in children. Jack Tweedy was diagnosed with brain and spinal cancer when he was two. Since then he has endured multiple surgeries and 270 weeks of chemotherapy but never fails to uplift those around him. Together with his family, he inspires others to help fund the best research to ensure that all cancer warriors have better treatment options.

Treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using chemoradiation can be successful, but it is difficult to manage treatment-associated side events and secondary cancers. Furthermore, in relapsed/refractory patients, the overall prognosis remains dismal. Direct inhibition of the main proteins promoting cancer (the “oncogenes”) is not successful in ALL. Dr. Ntziachristos's "Just Do It…...and be done with it" St. Baldrick'’s Research Grant will study certain oncogene-supporting mechanisms that might be specific to a diseased state, and not to a healthy state. Dr. Ntziachristos has selected one of these mechanisms to target in ALL models, and is assessing the anti-cancer activity that results. Such experiments could pave the way for clinical trials for high-risk disease. This grant is named for the “"Just Do It...…and be done with it"” Hero Fund created in honor of Sara Martorano who doesn'’t let anything dim her sparkle and has a compassionate heart and smile. It also celebrates the courage of all cancer kids through treatment and the support of their family and friends.