Women Curing Pediatric Cancer
In honor of Women in Science Day, the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation would like to proudly recognize some of the brilliant women funded by PCRF who are leading the way in their fields and working to cure pediatric cancer.
Take a look at some of the women who are making a difference and changing the futures of kids fighting pediatric cancer.
Dr. Anat Epstein – Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Dr. Epstein seeks to understand the biology of brain tumors, now the most deadly form of pediatric cancer, in order to create new and better treatments against them. Her focus is to better understand the biology of medulloblastomas, in order to find new ways to approach its treatment.
The results of this work will inform on critical aspects of medulloblastoma biology and may lead to novel approaches against the treatment of medulloblastoma and/or possibly repurposing of existing medicines for it.
Dr. Kathleen Sakamoto – Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Dr. Sakamoto’s goal at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford is to bring new drugs to children with relapsed acute leukemia. She is making progress not only in understanding how these new drugs work, but also studying how to best use these drugs in patients. Her hope is to improve the overall survival of children with relapsed leukemia so that they will live healthy and productive lives.
Dr. Amanda Saratsis – Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital
Dr. Saratsis hopes to bring new therapies to clinical trials and improve outcomes for patients with pediatric brain tumors. Initial research will focus on pediatric high grade glioma (pHGG) and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). Children affected by these tumors are in dire need of improved treatment options and outcomes.
It has already gained global attention due to the initial findings from the project and the work will be accelerated through generous philanthropic support from the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.
New 2019 Researchers
Dr. Lingling Chen – Johns Hopkins University – School of Medicine
Dr. Chen’s research focuses on Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the most common soft tissue tumor in childhood. Over the last 40 years, the treatment has been largely unchanged, consisting mainly of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Children who have high risk disease and fail front line treatment have extremely poor 5-year survival outcomes. New treatment options are desperately needed and Dr. Chen is working to change this.
Dr. Sarah Injac – Baylor College of Medicine
Dr. Injac’s research focuses on Medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood with approximately 500 cases diagnosed in the United States each year. The current standard therapy for medulloblastoma consists of a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. For patients who fail to respond to initial therapy or have disease that recurs following treatment, however, the outcomes remain dismal. There are currently no effective second line therapies for relapsed medulloblastoma. In addition, many long-term survivors of childhood medulloblastoma face significant treatment-related side effects. Long studies of these patients have shown high rates of learning issues with associated academic failure and unemployment, as well as hormonal problems, and an increased risk for secondary cancers. New therapies, therefore, remain urgently needed.
The Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation is proud to fund these Women in Science. These are just some of the amazing researchers focused on putting your generous donations to work in 2019. You can help us fight cancer with research.
