Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Announces 2015 ‘A’ Award Recipients, provides grant to young scientists to jump-start careers in pediatric oncology research

Three-year, $450,000 grants awarded to researchers from Children’s National Medical Center, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Philadelphia, PA (January 7, 2016) – Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer, awarded three ‘A’ Awards to promising young researchers, totaling $1.35 million in new grants. Researchers at Children’s National Medical Center, The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center will receive the grant which is designed for young scientists who want to establish their career in pediatric oncology. The grants will provide recipients with $450,000 each over the course of three years.

The 2015 ‘A’ Award recipients are: Conrad Russell Cruz, MD, PhD of Children’s National Medical Center for research into the use of cord blood derived natural killer cells against pediatric brain tumors; Eric Raabe, MD, PhD of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for research into the importance of the LIN28 gene to ATRT cancers; and John Wilson, PhD of Vanderbilt University Medical Center for development of a new class of therapeutic to “retrain” the immune system against neuroblastoma. Full summaries of the scientists’ research are included on the following page.

“The ‘A’ Awards play an integral role in allowing young scientists with original projects the space and time to follow through with promising research,” said Jay Scott, Co-Executive Director of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. “With every grant we are able to award, we are one step closer to finding those cures our daughter dreamed of.”

The ‘A’ Award joined a prestigious lineup of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation medical and nursing grants in 2009 to encourage the best and brightest young researchers to build lifelong careers in the pediatric cancer field. Operating under the belief that engaging researchers early in their career leads to a long term commitment to find cures, ALSF works to find and support exceptional budding researchers.

Along with the funds provided to ‘A’ Award recipients, the grant also includes the opportunity to speak and attend Foundation events, reference books to enhance the researchers’ personal pediatric oncology libraries, equipment to aid in their research (up to $10,000 value) and funding to attend one educational course or event.