What we're up to

Active Research Projects

A Novel Treatment for Children with Anaplastic Wilms’ Tumor

Already funded by the Lekofsky Family Foundation! An unmet clinical need exists for children with Wilms’ tumor that present with anaplastic (unfavorable) histology. While traditional chemotherapeutic treatment for histologically favorable Wilms’ tumor has seen great success, many children presenting with anaplastic disease fail to respond to therapies. Anaplastic Wilms’ tumor has relatively little resource development,

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Maintenance Therapy for Ewing Sarcoma

Already funded by Golf Fights Cancer Ewing sarcoma can be a very treatable and curable condition of children, teenagers and adults except in instances that metastases are present.  Metastases or primary site recurrence can sometimes occur as late as 3 decades after therapy in both sexes, and interestingly sometimes after pregnancy in women.  Compared to

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Drug Discovery Program for Hepatoblastoma

Already funded by the Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation The Macy Easom Research Foundation and cc-TDI have been longstanding partners with a series of milestones: creating resources (cell line characterizations) and international collaborations, developing innovative and efficient drug testing programs for hepatoblastoma, identifying drug candidates and further defining hepatoblastoma biology and novel potential drug targets. 

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SMARCA4 in Rhabdomyosarcoma

Already funded by the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health! Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) is generally not survivable when metastatic.  However, this disease does respond to chemotherapy in most cases.  The driving clinical challenge is to overcome recurrence after chemotherapy and radiation.  We recently reported in PLoS Genetics that the Pax3:Foxo1 oncogene present in most aRMS

Read More »

Resources and Drug Development for SEF

Already funded by the Rucker Collier Foundation! Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma (SEF) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma of children, teenagers and adults that can also arise from the kidney1-4 and sometimes from bone as well as other locations.  SEF is a rare cancer of significant unmet clinical need. Treatment is primarily surgical when not metastatic;

Read More »

Cell-based Immunotherapy for Rhabdomyosarcoma

Already funded by the Megan’s Mission Foundation Childhood muscle cancer is rare but also unique among cancers – rhabdomyosarcoma not only mimics normal muscle stem cells, but it also hides very well from the immune system. Immunotherapy has been so promising for adult forms of cancer, leukemias and lymphomas – but immunotherapy for sarcomas has

Read More »

Citizen Scientist Project

Already funded by the Megan’s Mission Foundation Rhabdomyosarcoma and soft tissue sarcomas are among the five greatest causes of death from childhood cancer and are among the most unaddressed causes of childhood cancer morbidity. Despite 49 years of cooperative group trials of intensified chemotherapy, the dismal survival for advanced disease remains unchanged. The goal of

Read More »

Myoepithelial Carcinoma Biology & Drug Discovery Program

Already funded by CureMEC and an anonymous donor The goals of this multi-year research program aim to answer the fundamental questions about Myoepithelial Carcinoma (MEC) biology and treatments. MEC is a rare cancer of children, teenagers and adults that can arise from the salivary glands, kidney and sometimes from soft tissue like muscle. Due to

Read More »

A Novel Treatment for Children with Anaplastic Wilms’ Tumor

Already funded by the Lekofsky Family Foundation! An unmet clinical need exists for children with Wilms’ tumor that present with anaplastic (unfavorable) histology. While traditional chemotherapeutic treatment for histologically favorable Wilms’ tumor has seen great success, many children presenting with anaplastic disease fail to respond to therapies. Anaplastic Wilms’ tumor has relatively little resource development,

Read More »

Maintenance Therapy for Ewing Sarcoma

Already funded by Golf Fights Cancer Ewing sarcoma can be a very treatable and curable condition of children, teenagers and adults except in instances that metastases are present.  Metastases or primary site recurrence can sometimes occur as late as 3 decades after therapy in both sexes, and interestingly sometimes after pregnancy in women.  Compared to

Read More »

Drug Discovery Program for Hepatoblastoma

Already funded by the Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation The Macy Easom Research Foundation and cc-TDI have been longstanding partners with a series of milestones: creating resources (cell line characterizations) and international collaborations, developing innovative and efficient drug testing programs for hepatoblastoma, identifying drug candidates and further defining hepatoblastoma biology and novel potential drug targets. 

Read More »

SMARCA4 in Rhabdomyosarcoma

Already funded by the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health! Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (aRMS) is generally not survivable when metastatic.  However, this disease does respond to chemotherapy in most cases.  The driving clinical challenge is to overcome recurrence after chemotherapy and radiation.  We recently reported in PLoS Genetics that the Pax3:Foxo1 oncogene present in most aRMS

Read More »

Resources and Drug Development for SEF

Already funded by the Rucker Collier Foundation! Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma (SEF) is a rare soft tissue sarcoma of children, teenagers and adults that can also arise from the kidney1-4 and sometimes from bone as well as other locations.  SEF is a rare cancer of significant unmet clinical need. Treatment is primarily surgical when not metastatic;

Read More »

Cell-based Immunotherapy for Rhabdomyosarcoma

Already funded by the Megan’s Mission Foundation Childhood muscle cancer is rare but also unique among cancers – rhabdomyosarcoma not only mimics normal muscle stem cells, but it also hides very well from the immune system. Immunotherapy has been so promising for adult forms of cancer, leukemias and lymphomas – but immunotherapy for sarcomas has

Read More »

Citizen Scientist Project

Already funded by the Megan’s Mission Foundation Rhabdomyosarcoma and soft tissue sarcomas are among the five greatest causes of death from childhood cancer and are among the most unaddressed causes of childhood cancer morbidity. Despite 49 years of cooperative group trials of intensified chemotherapy, the dismal survival for advanced disease remains unchanged. The goal of

Read More »

Myoepithelial Carcinoma Biology & Drug Discovery Program

Already funded by CureMEC and an anonymous donor The goals of this multi-year research program aim to answer the fundamental questions about Myoepithelial Carcinoma (MEC) biology and treatments. MEC is a rare cancer of children, teenagers and adults that can arise from the salivary glands, kidney and sometimes from soft tissue like muscle. Due to

Read More »