For the past 15 years, Dr. Northcott has devoted his entire scientific training and early independent career to studying the biological basis of medulloblastoma in large collections of patient tumors. From these efforts, his research has demonstrated that medulloblastoma is not a single disease, but rather a collection of different diseases referred to as subgroups, each of which is associated with distinct genetics, distinct age of onset, and distinct survival patterns. These findings have begun to directly impact how children afflicted with medulloblastoma are diagnosed and treated in the clinic. Currently, his lab consists of a team of basic scientists, computational biologists, and support staff that work collaboratively to understand fundamental questions related to the biological and clinical aspects of the different medulloblastoma subgroups. Leading a scientific program focused on medulloblastoma at St. Jude, Dr. Northcott has the privilege of being part of a collaborative research environment that facilitates working alongside pediatric neuro-oncologist’s leading world class clinical trials, allowing them to combine their expertise to determine why some children survive medulloblastoma and others do not. This group is currently pioneering and implementing innovative technical approaches to study extensive collections of medulloblastoma patient samples at the level of individual genes in single cancer cells. Information gained from these studies enables researchers to accurately model the different medulloblastoma subgroups in the lab and test new therapies before they are evaluated in clinical trials. Overall, his goal is to continue to make transformative discoveries related to the molecular, biological, and clinical characteristics of medulloblastoma subgroups that will improve treatments and outcomes for affected children and their families. The St. Baldrick's Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award is given in honor of the late Dr. Robert Arceci. A pioneer in the field, this award reflects Dr. Arceci's values including creativity, collaboration, and commitment to early- to mid-career scientists.

Therapeutic access to pediatric solid tumors, especially in the context of metastatic disease, remains a tremendous challenge. Dr Daugaard and his team are developing new ways of targeting pediatric solid tumors by exploiting distinct changes to proteins expressed on the surface of tumor cells and in the tumor microenvironment. The St. Baldrick's Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award is given in honor of the late Dr. Robert Arceci. A pioneer in the field, this award reflects Dr. Arceci's values including creativity, collaboration, and commitment to early- to mid-career scientists.

Dr. Shlien is working to define the key molecular landmarks of aggressive childhood cancers. Understanding how these lethal tumors arise will lead to better treatment and surveillance. This will impact the management of these young patients, and improve the precision of cancer care. The St. Baldrick's Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award is given in honor of the late Dr. Robert Arceci. A pioneer in the field, this award reflects Dr. Arceci's values including creativity, collaboration, and commitment to early- to mid-career scientists.

Dr. Kentsis is working 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. The St. Baldrick’s Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award is given in honor of the late Dr. Robert Arceci. A pioneer in the field, this award reflects Dr. Arceci’s values including creativity, collaboration, and commitment to early- to mid-career scientists.

While deciphering the genetic code in pediatric cancers has illuminated important insights into their development, for the majority of these children, a matched targeted drug is not revealed. Dr. Stegmaier is working on an alternative solution to identify new, druggable Achilles heels in pediatric cancers. She is systematically eliminating each of 17,500 genes in 100 pediatric cancer cell models with innovative technology to determine whether loss of the gene is lethal. In parallel, Dr. Stegmaier and colleagues are screening these cells with over 4,000 drugs. Novel emerging targets/drugs will be validated in state-of-the-art pediatric cancer models with the ultimate deliverable of new pediatric cancer trials. The St. Baldrick's Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award is given in honor of the late Dr. Robert Arceci. A pioneer in the field, this award reflects Dr. Arceci's values including creativity, collaboration, and commitment to early- to mid-career scientists.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a tumor of white blood cells that normally fight infection. Changes in DNA, or mutations, are important in driving the development of ALL. Mutations in genes that control the reading of DNA are particularly common in leukemia cells that don't respond to treatment. Dr. Mullighan is studying engineered ALL cells and tumors to understand how these mutations result in resistance to therapy, and to develop new ways of treating ALL. The St. Baldrick’s Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award is given in honor of the late Dr. Robert Arceci. A pioneer in the field, this award reflects Dr. Arceci’s values including creativity, collaboration, and commitment to early- to mid-career scientists.