St. Baldrick's Foundation Awards $1.4 Million in Fellowships to Advance Childhood Cancer Research

Associated Press

06-03-2025

Los Angeles, California--(Newsfile Corp. - March 6, 2025) - The St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, is excited to announce its latest round of grants. St. Baldrick's has awarded more than $1.4 million in Fellowships to support the next generation of pediatric cancer researchers.
These Fellowship grants provide two to three years of funding for early-career pediatric oncologists, allowing them to conduct vital research while receiving advanced training under the mentorship of experienced leaders in the field. This round of grants will fund nine early-career researchers working to discover new childhood cancer treatments.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation 2025 Fellows are:
Geoffrey Smith MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dr. Smith is investigating why immunotherapies that have revolutionized cancer care fail against osteosarcoma, a bone cancer with poor outcomes once it spreads. Using models with an intact immune system, he will apply next-generation sequencing and single-cell analysis to study immune responses. His findings will help identify promising immunotherapies for future clinical trials.
Margarita Dionysiou MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Dionysiou and her team are studying miR-21, a naturally produced molecule to improve allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), a treatment with the potential side effect of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). By understanding how miR-21 controls the immune response, they aim to prevent GVHD while preserving the donor cells' cancer fighting ability, making allo-HCT safer and more effective for children with aggressive leukemia.
Clara Libbrecht MD, PhD, Seattle Children's Hospital
Mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) is a rare and difficult-to-treat leukemia that shares features of both acute myeloblastic and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It often involves chromosomal translocations, with the ZNF384 gene fusing to various other genes, though the effects remain unclear. Dr. Libbrecht has discovered that inhibiting BRM/BRG1—proteins essential for DNA structure—can kill MPAL cells in vitro. Her research aims to understand this mechanism and validate BRM/BRG1 inhibition as a potential MPAL therapy in vivo.
Amanda Campbell MD, PhD, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Dr. Campbell's project aims to engineer immune cells to better target pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML cells evade immune detection by inhibiting natural killer (NK) cells, which play a key role in attacking tumors. The study focuses on modifying the NK cell inhibitory receptor TIGIT to remove these 'brakes' and enhance NK cell activation. By doing so, researchers hope to develop a more effective cellular therapy for pediatric AML.
Brittany Van Remortel MD, MPH, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Dr. Van Remortel is testing ReSeT, a program designed to help teens with leukemia stay active during treatment. Since long periods of sitting can worsen side effects and increase health risks, ReSeT introduces short exercise breaks to improve heart health and quality of life. Over 10 weeks, participants use a Fitbit, health coaching, and an app-based support group to gradually increase activity. The goal is to encourage small behavior changes for lasting health benefits.
Christopher Kuo MD, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is a malignant cancer in bones and soft tissues, often affecting young people, with survival rates dropping once the cancer spreads. While immunotherapy has advanced for some pediatric cancers, it has not been effective for EwS due to the limited understanding of how these tumors evade the immune system. This project aims to study tumor-immune interactions by analyzing the tumor microenvironment (TME) using patient samples and a genetic model, with the goal to uncover new treatment options for children with EwS.
Benjamin Lerman MD, University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Lerman is studying the link between MRI appearance and DNA changes in aggressive childhood brain tumors called diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs). Understanding this connection could help predict tumor behavior from MRI scans alone, benefiting patients who cannot or choose not to have a biopsy. With no cure for DMG and all patients receiving the same radiation treatment, his research aims to classify tumors into groups to help guide future clinical trials find better, targeted treatments.
Matthew Decker MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
AML is a tough-to-treat childhood leukemia with toxic treatments that require long hospital stays and potential lifelong side effects. Many cases are driven by mutations in the N-Ras protein, which accelerates cancer growth. No approved drugs currently target mutant N-Ras, but Dr. Decker and his team are testing ABD778, a drug that selectively blocks AML cells with this mutation. Their research could lead to new, less toxic treatments for childhood AML.
Robert Lindquist MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Lindquist is developing a new model to study ependymoma, a brain tumor with high relapse rates and poor long-term survival. With no effective chemotherapy available, his research aims to understand tumor growth and test new treatments, ultimately seeking therapies to extend children's lives.
Since 2005, St. Baldrick's has granted more than $356 million to support the development of childhood cancer treatments that have the potential to impact every kid diagnosed with cancer. The next round of St. Baldrick's grants will be announced this summer.
To learn more about grants and how you can support groundbreaking research, visit www.StBaldricks.org, and connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram, Tik Tok, Threads, and YouTube.
About St. Baldrick's Foundation
Every 2 minutes, a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. The St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, has awarded more than $356 million to researchers to Conquer Kids' Cancer. When you give to St. Baldrick's, you don't just give to one hospital - you support every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick's ensures that children fighting cancer now - and those diagnosed in the future - will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the training of the next generation of researchers, to lifesaving clinical trials. St. Baldrick's has played a role in virtually every advancement in the field over the past 25 years and remains essential in advancing progress and fostering innovation in childhood cancer research. Visit StBaldricks.org and help #ConquerKidsCancer.
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