The Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute (cc-TDI) is proud to announce a new publication, DNA methylation patterns are influenced by Pax3::Foxo1 expression and developmental lineage in rhabdomyosarcoma tumours forming in genetically engineered mouse models, published in the Journal of Pathology. This study, led by Dr. Wenyue Sun at National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with cc-TDI, explores the underlying genetic drivers of RMS. Key findings are that cell-of-origin may influence the behavior of the cancer.

The study, born out of a 2014 call to action at a conference held at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, sought to address the urgent need for greater collaboration in the fight against childhood cancer. This publication represents a key milestone in the collaborative efforts between basic science laboratories, clinical researchers, and advocacy groups, marking the sixth publication resulting from the partnership between Dr. Barr’s lab at NIH and cc-TDI.
Drs. Barr and Keller (cc-TDI) were inspired by Nancy Arcati (Friends of TJ Foundation), the mother of T.J. Arcati, a child whose battle with RMS in 2014 spurred the call for greater action between basic science laboratories. This call for collaboration has now resulted in a series of impactful research papers, including a recent clinical trial with the drug entinostat, which involved a multi-lab partnership between the Barr lab, cc-TDI, and the Vakoc lab at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The findings of this study are available in the journal Oncotarget (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30459282/). Thank you to cc-TDI family partners: Ava’s Army, Team Brad, The Kristian Project, and Carson Confronts Cancer for supporting this research.