Grants Search Results

Based on progress to date, Dr. Maude was awarded new grants in 2016 and 2017 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of white blood cells, is the most common childhood cancer. Fortunately, most children with ALL are cured; however, 10-20% of children are not cured with standard chemotherapy. Recently, genetic tests identified abnormalities that may cause two types of ALL with poor survival rates. Dr. Maude's lab developed models of these leukemias to ask if new medicines that work specifically on the abnormal genes can improve the chance for cure. Dr. Maude, the Rally for Ryan Fund St. Baldrick's Scholar, hopes that these studies will find new treatments for these difficult to treat leukemias, giving these children a new chance for cure. This grant is named for the Rally for Ryan Fund. Ryan was diagnosed with high risk ALL when he was 7 years old. He endured 3 ½ years of often harsh treatments with smiles, laughter and a brave acceptance that this was his fight to win. And Ryan did prevail—he took his last chemo pill in January 2016 but sadly, relapsed later that year. He is currently in treatment and back in the fight. This fund honors Ryan’s commitment to help make a difference for kids with cancer by shaving for St. Baldrick’s and to raise funds for research.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Mizukawa was awarded new grants in 2016 and 2017 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) arises from a subset of leukemia stem cells that are responsible for perpetuating the disease. Although most leukemia cells are readily killed by chemotherapy, if the leukemia stem cell escapes therapy, the child will eventually succumb to the disease. The leukemia stem cell has survival and self-renewal advantages provided by its supportive environment. The Cdc42 protein plays a central role in integrating environmental cues and promoting leukemia cell survival. Dr. Mizukawa is working to block Cdc42 and make the leukemia stem cell more sensitive to chemotherapy.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Rainusso was awarded new grants in 2016 and 2017 to fund additional years of this Scholar award. Dr. Rainusso’s work looks to identify and target the most malignant, most aggressive and most difficult-to-treat cancer cells in pediatric sarcomas. Dr. Rainusso, the Alan’s Sarcoma Research Fund St. Baldrick’s Scholar, is also testing if the patients’ body immune system can kill cancer cells in pediatric sarcomas. A portion of this grant is named for the Alan’s Sarcoma Research Fund that was created in memory of Alan Sanders who was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma in his hip at 17 months. He had an indomitable spirit and through his 4 ½ year battle with cancer, he was joyful, upbeat and pressed on courageously through surgery and treatments. Fighting cancer was all Alan knew from an early age and his rallying cry became “Fight’s on!” Today his family and friends carry on his legacy in the fight against childhood cancer by funding sarcoma research.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Barrett, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. While doctors can cure many children with leukemia, a significant number will have cancer that doesn't respond to chemotherapy or comes back (relapses). Dr. Barrett is working on a strategy to take a part of a patient's own immune system, the T cells, and redirect them towards the leukemia with an artificial construct called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Early results indicate this approach works well, but more research about the T cells is necessary to fully harness their power. This therapy has the potential to save the lives of children with leukemia when chemotherapy and stem cell transplant cannot.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Chen, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Dr. Chen's research aims to discover new drugs that would prevent cancer relapse in children with rhabdomyosarcoma, one of the most common childhood cancers. She is testing drugs to see how effective they can be at killing rhabdomyosarcoma tumor cells and keeping kids with rhabdomyosarcoma cancer-free. Awarded at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. and transferred to the University of Washington.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Davis, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a blood cancer and the most common cancer in children. Although great improvements have been made in curing this cancer, there are still children who die of ALL. Kara Davis, D.O., NetApp St. Baldrick's Scholar, focuses on how these cancer cells are related to normal developing blood cells, and how the ways these cells "communicate" are different from normal cell communication. This project also investigates how the communication in cancer cells is different in children who are are cured of their leukemia from those whose disease comes back. This grant is named for the NetApp team, whose employees around the world have raised more than $3 million for research through the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Friedman, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Current treatments are harmful to the developing brain. Brain tumor-initiating cells (BTIC), which give rise to all tumor cells like a queen bee, are likely responsible for cancer recurrence. Genetically-altered herpes simplex virus, which has been used safely and effectively in adult trials, targets and kills tumor cells and BTIC while sparing normal brain cells. This laboratory is studying the use of clinically-ready viruses in difficult-to-treat medulloblastomas, to provide the foundation for future pediatric trials using this cutting-edge therapy to benefit children with these deadly cancers. A portion of the grant was generously supported by the Miracles for Michael Fund, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund created in memory of Michael Orbany and honors his tremendous strength to never ever give up.

This research seeks to improve treatment for AML, a childhood leukemia, by studying abnormalities in the leukemia-associated WT1 molecule. Studying changes in WT1 will help researchers better understand what causes leukemia, and how best to treat it. Most AML cancer cells have abnormally high WT levels compared to normal cells. This project studies ways to measure WT1 levels in blood samples after patients have received chemotherapy, in hopes of using WT1 as a marker of low-level disease, which may be difficult to detect, and as a target for treatments, which will directly affect these residual leukemia cells.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Lee, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Immune cells can now be engineered to recognize and kill cancer cells, then administered to patients. Dr. Lee's project is one of the first to bring this promising new therapy to children with cancer. This research aims to discover how these cells work, how to better harness their potential and to determine which cell types are important for effective and persistent anti-tumor activity. Several clinical trials of this breakthrough therapy for children with cancer are scheduled to open at this institution and others in the next few years, and this work will increase the chance that these trials will be effective against childhood cancer. Awarded at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health and transferred to University of Virginia. A portion of the grant was generously supported by the Hope from Harper Hero Fund created to honor Harper Wehneman who passed away from Wilms tumor when she was 9 years old. This fund continues her legacy of inspiring joy and bringing hope to kids fighting cancer by funding research in the area of stem cell transplant survival.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Nakamura, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Survivors of childhood cancers are susceptible to developing second malignant neoplasms, which are complications of cancer treatments. Dr. Nakamura's lab has developed new experimental models that closely replicate this clinical problem, which they are using to study the biologic basis for second malignant neoplasms. This research improves the understanding of the genetic and biochemical mechanisms causing second malignant neoplasms, which may lead to improved cancer prevention strategies for childhood cancer survivors and the general population. A portion grant is generously supported by the Morgan and Friends Fund, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund, created to honor Morgan Loudon. It celebrates her strength and determination as a cancer survivor while rallying family and friends to “battle on” in the search for cures and better treatments.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Wang, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) is an often-fatal disease in children and adolescents. Part of the reason for limited success in curing AML is that current therapies don't attack the cancer stem cells that are responsible for maintaining the leukemia. Dr. Wang's research seeks to identify specific ways to target those hard-to-kill AML stem cells. To do this Dr. Wang is using the cutting-edge technologies of phosphoproteomics, which allow researchers to look at biologically vital pathways in cancer stem cells in a comprehensive, efficient, and novel manner. Awarded at Children's Hospital Boston and transferred to City of Hope. A portion of this research was funded by P.A.L.S. Bermuda with funds raised through the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Parekh, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a blood cancer that represents 15% of childhood leukemias. Of children with T-ALL, 20% fail to respond to therapy, and the survival for these children is less than 30%. Studying the mechanisms underlying the development of leukemia is critical for designing new treatments for T-ALL. Defects in the BCL11B gene are seen in T-ALL, and this project studies the role of BCL11B in the development of T-ALL, with the ultimate goal of understanding how T-ALL develops and identifying potential treatment strategies. Awarded at University of California, Los Angeles and transferred to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Pinto, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Prior to his 2015 relocation to Seattle, Dr. Pinto was the FOX Schools Challenge St. Baldrick's Scholar. He studies neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer of the nervous system. Factors such as patient age, extent of tumor spread, and tumor genetics are used to identify patients at highest risk of relapse, and these patients receive the most aggressive treatment. Despite this, more than half of these high-risk patients will die of disease. This project is using patient genetics to identify children that may be resistant to chemotherapy, allowing researchers to further refine the risk stratification and alter therapy for those patients at highest risk of relapse, to ultimately cure more children of this devastating disease. Awarded at the University of Chicago and transferred to Seattle Children's Hospital. A portion of this grant was named for the FOX Schools Challenge, created in 2007 when Chicago area schools and students began to rally around the mission to Conquer Childhood Cancers, inspiring more than 15,000 people to shave and raising more than $5 million for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Filemon Dela Cruz, M.D., NetApp St. Baldrick's Scholar, studies ewing sarcoma, a common cancer of the bone and tissues in children. Despite our best therapies, less than 20% of children with widespread disease will survive. Dr. Dela Cruz's lab recently developed a model of Ewing sarcoma that has been genetically altered to mimic the early stages of this disease. This project aims to use this model to identify the biologic steps that went wrong in a cell to create Ewing's sarcoma, so that researchers can devise ways to correct and prevent these mistakes from ever occurring. This grant is named for the NetApp team, whose employees around the world have raised more than $3 million for lifesaving research through the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Mulcahy Levy, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Jean Mulcahy Levy, M.D., elope, Inc. St. Baldrick's Scholar Award, studies autophagy, a multi-step process that cancer can use to survive. It is possible to block this survival mechanism and hopefully make cancer easier to kill with other treatments like radiation and chemotherapy. This project has three goals to improve survival of children with brain tumors. First, to find which step of the process should be blocked to kill the most tumor cells. Second, to find which brain tumors depend most on autophagy to survive. And finally, to determine if a specific genetic mutation found in some pediatric brain tumors can identify patients who will most benefit from autophagy directed treatments. This grant is named for elope, Inc., for its generous and faithful support of St. Baldrick's. The company has donated its popular green leprechaun hats and other whimsical attire to St. Baldrick's fundraising events, and the company's event has raised more than $1 million to fund lifesaving research.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Curran, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Our body can fight off infections using the immune system. This is why we feel better a few days after catching a cold. Our body can fight cancer in the same way, and the goal of Kevin Curran, M.D., AVM Traders St. Baldrick's Scholar's research is to teach the body to do that. This project aims to modify the immune system through gene therapy to create "cancer assassins" that target cancer cells. Ultimately, this method of cancer treatment may eliminate cancer without the side effects of current treatments such as chemotherapy (drugs) or radiation (x-rays). This grant is named for AVM Traders, a company that has raised more than $1 million for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick's Foundation.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Vanan, was awarded a new grant in 2016 to fund an additional year of this Scholar award. Issai Vanan, M.D., M.P.H., studies medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children. High-risk medulloblastoma patients have low disease-free survival. Radiotherapy used in its treatment has significant long-term side-effects and new therapeutic strategies are needed that will minimize these side effects. The goals of this project are to validate and study the clinical importance of genes that may play a role in radiation resistance of medulloblastomas. Dr. Vanan hopes to identify new therapeutic targets/drugs that are therapeutic while using much lower doses of radiation, thereby reducing the negative side effects of radiotherapy. A portion of the grant was named in loving memory of Fr. Peter J. McKenna, beloved brother of former St. Baldrick's board member John McKenna, and in honor of John's incredible dedication and service. Awarded at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and transferred to CancerCare Manitoba.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Cho, Miracles for Michael St. Baldrick's Scholar, was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an additional two years of this Scholar award. Medulloblastoma is the most common brain cancer in children. Currently, these children undergo surgery and aggressive radiation and chemotherapy, and still about 35% do not survive. Survivors are often left with permanent disabilities with learning, strength and coordination. There is a critical need for newer, more 'targeted' therapies that will not only increase survival of patients, but also prevent damage to the normal brain. The goal of Dr. Cho's research is to identify the molecular factors that medulloblastomas rely on for growth and survival, in order to develop new strategies to more effectively treat children diagnosed with this lethal disease. Awarded at Children's Hospital Boston, transferred to Stanford University, and transferred to Oregon Health & Science University. This grant is named for the “Miracles for Michael” Hero Fund created in memory of Michael Orbany and honors his tremendous strength to never ever give up.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Schultz was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an additional two years of this Scholar award. Rare tumors are understudied, yet have the potential to shed light on vast areas of cancer research. Ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors, rare tumors of childhood and young adulthood, have recently been found to be associated with a lung cancer of early childhood called pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB). The cause of these ovarian tumors is unknown. DICER1 mutations are seen in the majority of children with PPB and also in some patients with ovarian tumors. Like PPB, ovarian stromal tumors are highly curable when found in early stage; however, later forms of the disease are aggressive and often fatal. This project establishs the International Ovarian Stromal Tumor Registry to collect clinical and biologic data. Understanding these rare tumors will lead to increasing survival and reducing late effects. The Registry provides information to improve the direct care of children with these conditions and facilitate future research.  

Based on progress to date, Dr. Chow was awarded a new grant in 2014 to fund an additional two years of this Scholar award. High-grade gliomas (HGGs) are aggressive brain tumors in children, extremely difficult to treat. Current therapies are ineffective and the majority of patients succumb to their disease, with HGG responsible for a significant portion of cancer-related deaths in children. To date, the majority of research on HGG has been conducted on tumors in adults, but there is evidence that HGGs in children have different characteristics, which suggests that treatments for adults may not be effective in children. This study is to better understand how HGGs arise and grow in children in order to tailor treatment to this population and identify combinations of drugs that will improve survival.