Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Announces 2016 Reach Grant Recipients 

The Reach Grant provides critical funding to propel childhood cancer research from the lab toward clinical trial.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all children with cancer, awarded Reach Grants to childhood cancer researchers at three leading institutions across the country. The Reach Grant provides much needed funding at a critical point in the development of a cancer therapy – preparation for FDA approval. Each recipient will receive a total of $250,000 over the course of two years.

The 2016 Reach Awards will support: Patrick Zweidler-McKay, MD/PhD of MD Anderson Cancer Center  to study a new treatment for patients with protein-driven acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Michael Engel, MD/PhD of University of Utah to study a new treatment option for patients with T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma; Michael D. Hogarty, MD of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to study a new drug in combination with chemotherapy and immunotherapy to treat neuroblastoma; and John Maris, MD of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to study a new targeted radiation therapy for children with relapsed neuroblastoma.

“Traditional treatment protocols can fail many children fighting childhood cancer,” said Jay Scott, Co-Executive Director of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. “Similar to my daughter Alex’s battle, children and families will turn to clinical trials, whose outcomes can provide hope and the possibility of potential cures. We are dedicated to bringing promising research forward from the lab to the clinic.”

The aim of the Reach Grant is to fund studies which will result in the initiation of a clinical trial within a short time period, ideally 2-3 years. 

For more information about the Reach Grant or Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s various grant categories and successes, visit www.ALSFgrants.org.