This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Cellular and Immunological Approaches to Prevent Relapse: Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Cellular and Immunological Approaches to Prevent Relapse: Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Treehouse Childhood Cancer Project. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Cellular and Immunological Approaches to Prevent Relapse: Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Cellular and Immunological Approaches to Prevent Relapse: Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: LEAHRN (Late Effects After High–Risk Neuroblastoma) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Cellular and Immunological Approaches to Prevent Relapse: Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Cellular and Immunological Approaches to Prevent Relapse: Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Consortium for Childhood Cancer Predisposition. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

Based on progress to date, Dr. Das was awarded a new grant in 2022 to fund an additional year of this International Scholar grant. When a cell divides, the DNA duplicates. However there may be errors in this process. Most are corrected by an in-built replication repair mechanism. If not corrected, this may lead to mutations. The repair mechanism itself may be faulty in some children with an inherited condition. They develop cancers in the brain, intestines and blood, with very high number of mutations. These cancers are difficult to diagnose and do not respond to standard chemotherapy and radiation. Dr. Das and colleagues have developed cutting edge yet inexpensive genomic tool, called 'signatures' which will help better diagnose this disease. The tool will also predict which children will benefit from a new, promising treatment known as immunotherapy. It will also help diagnose other family members before they develop cancers and initiate surveillance to improve their chances for survival. The condition is more prevalent in the developing world where the custom of marrying within one's community is prevalent. Hence validation of the utility of this tool and developing local capacity to use this will benefit large number of children and their families in underserved areas across the globe.

The 2022 portion of this grant is funded by and named for the Kai Slockers Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. Kai was diagnosed at 2½ with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT), a rare and very aggressive brain cancer. Within two weeks of diagnosis, he passed away, a mere 3 months shy of his third birthday. When Kai took his last breath, the cloudy sky opened up with a bright ray of sun that streamed through the windows of his hospital room – the darkness of the disease was replaced with the light of hope and the peace of no more suffering. Whenever the sun is out, his family thinks of him, assured that his legacy of hope shines on. In his brief life, Kai shared his warmth, energy, goofy sense of humor, and caring heart with all those he met. This Hero Fund was created in his memory and will support research to help other kids with cancer have a better chance to fight and survive. It has a special focus on brain tumor research, specifically treatments that could minimize the harsh effects of brain tumor treatment. The Slockers family hopes to continue his legacy of light and hope through the funding of childhood cancer research.

A portion of this grant is generously supported by The Team Campbell Foundation. The Foundation was established in memory of Campbell Hoyt, who courageously battled anaplastic ependymoma, a rare cancer of the brain and spine, for five years before passing away in August of 2014 at the age of eight. Its mission is to improve the lives of families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis through raising awareness, funding research and providing psycho-social enrichment opportunities.

Ewing Sarcoma (EwS) is an aggressive bone and soft tissue tumor occurring in children and young adults. Approximately 25-30% of patients already have metastases at diagnosis and in spite of aggressive treatment, the survival for patients with metastatic disease remains dismal. EwS is considered an immune cold tumor that is largely resistant to conventional immunotherapy. Alternative treatment approaches are sorely needed, particularly in patients with metastatic disease.


Dr. Sorensen and colleagues are using three novel strategies for targeting EwS tumors: 1) Inhibiting an EwS specific fusion protein that drives EwS tumor development. 2) Targeting a surface protein called IL1RAP. 3) Recruiting natural killer (NK) immune cells to EwS tumors and priming them to attack the tumor. This grant is the result of a generous anonymous donation to fund Ewing sarcoma research, specifically. It is in honor of a teenager fighting Ewing sarcoma, and is named the St. Baldrick's - Martha's Better Ewing Sarcoma Treatment (BEST) Grant for All.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Consortium for Childhood Cancer Predisposition. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: North American Consortium for Histiocytosis (NACHO). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: North American Consortium for Histiocytosis (NACHO). For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN.

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.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT) Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA.

This institution is a member of a research consortium which is being funded by St. Baldrick's: Pediatric Blood & Marrow Transplant Consortium. For a description of this project, see the consortium grant made to the lead institution: the National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, MN.