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Innovation Grants

These grants are designed to provide critical and significant seed funding for experienced investigators with a novel and promising approach to finding causes and cures for childhood cancers. A Letter of Intent is required. The Innovation Award amount totals $250,000 over two years. The Award may not be renewed, however, one no cost extensions are allowable.

University of Massachusetts Medical School

Background
Acute myeloid leukemia is the most frequent myeloid neoplasia in pediatric cancers, and it develops from the accumulation of mutations in the blood stem cells in the bone marrow. A recurrent mutations is the chromosome inversion inv16(p13q22), which creates the fusion protein CBFbeta-SMMHC. This fusion plays an important role in the expansion and survival of the leukemic cells.

Principal Investigator Name: 

Lucio Castilla, Ph.D.

Project Title: 

Development of Targeted Leukemia Inhibitors Using Nanoparticle Delivery

Year Awarded: 

2014

Cancer Research Category: 

Category of Grant: 

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe: 

Institution: 

The Pennsylvania State University

Our laboratory and clinical research work is currently focused on vaccine therapy targeting the cancer testis (CT) antigens MAGE-A1, MAGE-A3, and NY-ESO-1. Studies in our laboratory indicate that expression of each of these antigens can be upregulated on most GBM, neuroblastoma, sarcoma, and leukemia cells by exposing tumors to low dose decitabine (DAC), a demethylating agent.

Principal Investigator Name: 

Ken Lucas, MD

Project Title: 

Tumor cell hybridoma vaccine for recurrent neuroblastoma and Ewing sarcoma

Year Awarded: 

2006

Cancer Research Category: 

Category of Grant: 

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe: 

Institution: 

University of Cincinnati

Background
Approximately 10-20% of childhood acute leukemias, including ~80% of those in infants, involve the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene rearrangements that are associated with poor prognosis (only ~40% survival rate). Therefore, it is urgent to develop a new therapy with high efficacy and minimal side effects.

Principal Investigator Name: 

Jianjun Chen, PhD

Project Title: 

Development of MicroRNA-Nanoparticles to Treat Childhood Acute Leukemia Carrying MLL Rearrangements

Year Awarded: 

2013

Cancer Research Category: 

Category of Grant: 

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe: 

Institution: 

Baylor College of Medicine

Background
Gliomas (HGG) constitute approximately 20% of all childhood brain tumors and are virtually incurable. The standard-of-care is maximum possible resection, radiation therapy and sometimes chemotherapy; a combination that is both toxic and largely ineffective. It is therefore desirable to develop novel tumor-targeted therapies that could improve these disappointing outcomes.

Principal Investigator Name: 

Nabil Ahmed, MD, MSc

Project Title: 

Multispecific T Cells for Adoptive Immunotherapy of Pediatric High Grade Glioma (HGG)

Year Awarded: 

2013

Cancer Research Category: 

Category of Grant: 

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe: 

Institution: 

An Intersection of Cell Metabolism and Differentiation in Childhood Sarcomas

Background
The goal of our proposal is to identify new therapeutic targets for one of the most aggressive childhood sarcomas - malignant rhabdoid tumors. These dreadful tumors typically strike infants and young children. Chemotherapy and radiation are rarely curative and no other effective treatment is currently available. As a result, the majority of children with this type of tumor expire within the first year of diagnosis.

Principal Investigator Name: 

Sandra Orsulic, PhD

Project Title: 

An Intersection of Cell Metabolism and Differentiation in Childhood Sarcomas

Year Awarded: 

2013

Cancer Research Category: 

Category of Grant: 

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe: 

Institution: 

University of California at Santa Cruz

Project Goal
The goal of this project is to identify the root cause of blood cancer in infants and children. We are focusing on understanding how the most common and aggressive form of infant blood cancer, B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (B-ALL), arises before or soon after birth in some children. Understanding the cause of this disease will enable the design of drugs that specifically eliminates cancer cells, without causing damage to the body's healthy cells.

Principal Investigator Name: 

Camilla Forsberg, PhD

Project Title: 

Defining the Role of a Novel, Developmentally Restricted Hematopoietic Stem Cell in Pediatric Leukemias

Year Awarded: 

2013

Cancer Research Category: 

Category of Grant: 

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe: 

Institution: 

Duke University

Background
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) is an aggressive cancer of skeletal muscle. Survival for children in high-risk groups is less than 30%, and this has not improved appreciably in over 30 years. aRMS is characterized by the DNA mutation PAX3-FOXO1, which acts in part by tricking cells into thinking they are building muscle. Although PAX3-FOXO1 is found only in aRMS and should be an ideal drug target, it is not druggable.

Principal Investigator Name: 

Corinne Mary Linardic, MD, PhD

Project Title: 

Therapeutic Potential of the MST1/Hippo Tumor Suppressor Pathway in Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma

Year Awarded: 

2013

Cancer Research Category: 

Category of Grant: 

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe: 

Institution: 

Columbia University Medical Center

Background
Amplification of oncogene MYCN is a hallmark of neuroblastoma, and is associated with metastasis and very poor survival. However, despite the identification of MYCN-amplification as an adverse prognostic marker, no drugs that target MYCN have been developed.

Principal Investigator Name: 

Darrell Yamashiro, MD, PhD

Project Title: 

Identification of TFAP4 (Transcription Factor AP-4/Activating Enhancer Binding Protein) as a Potential Master Regulator/Synthetic Lethal Gene of MYCN Amplified Neuroblastoma

Year Awarded: 

2013

Cancer Research Category: 

Category of Grant: 

Medical, Nurse Researcher, Quality of LIfe: 

Institution: 

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