Genevieve Kendall, PhD from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University is a two-time ALSF grant recipient and one of the most recent pediatric cancer experts to join ALSF’s Scientific Advisory Board. Her research focuses on pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer characterized by molecular features of impaired skeletal muscle development. Currently no curative treatments are clinically available, but Dr. Kendall aims to change that.
Principal Investigator Name:
Genevieve Kendall, PhD
Project Title:
Mechanisms of PAX3-FOXO1 and HES3 Cooperation in Rhabdomyosarcoma
My goal is to improve treatments for infant leukemia patients and genetic counseling efforts for their families. To realize this goal, we will develop mouse models to study the interactions between MLL translocations (the most common mutation in infant leukemia) and inherited genetic variants that potentially predispose to infant leukemia – in this case variants in the MLL3 gene. Mice are the optimal model for these studies because they are genetically tractable and mouse blood development closely approximates human blood development.
Principal Investigator Name:
Jeffrey Magee, MD/PhD
Project Title:
The Role of Inherited MLL3 Single Nucleotide Variants and Fetal Epigenetic Programming in Infant Leukemogenesis
Emma is a beautiful little girl born with an unfortunate complication: Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome. This rare genetic disorder comes with a statistically higher risk of developing cancer. Emma is screened regularly, getting the best care she can.
