The Childhood Cancer Blog

The Childhood Cancer Blog

Welcome to The Childhood Cancer Blog
from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation!

Chemotherapy has long been a part of the frontline treatment plan for kids battling high-risk neuroblastoma. But when neuroblastoma becomes chemotherapy resistant, doctors are left with a dwindling list of options for children, who are desperate for cures.  

For these children, it is critical that researchers work to understand what causes this chemotherapy resistance and then find a therapy that works. One Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) researcher, Dr. Patrick Reynolds, made a discovery that could be a game changer. 

Using cancer tumor models and cell lines... Read More

test tubes

Fusion proteins have been identified as major drivers of many childhood cancers. Fusion proteins arise when a piece of chromosome breaks off and combines with another chromosome. Chromosomal rearrangements such as this can form new genes, fusion genes, that when expressed produce a fusion protein. Sometimes these fusion proteins lead to cancer by reprogramming activities in the cell that cause uncontrolled growth of cells. 

You might be wondering, if fusion oncoproteins can lead to cancer, why can’t we simply target them with a drug? Many of the fusion oncoproteins in childhood... Read More

childhood cancer research update

June marks the halfway point of the year, and already Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) has been able to fund more than 40 research studies. ALSF funds a comprehensive grants program designed to find improved treatments and cures for children with cancer and new for 2021, we are enthusiastic to have committed $18.5 million to four game... Read More

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