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CURE Childhood Cancer Proudly Announces more than $3 million in Research Grants

ATLANTA, June 18, 2021 – CURE Childhood Cancer, the Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to conquering childhood cancer by funding targeted research while supporting patients and their families, announces more than $3 million in research grants for its 2020-2021 fiscal year. This brings CURE’s total investment in research over the last 15 years to nearly $33 million.

“While the year has been extremely challenging as a result of the COVID pandemic, we are so pleased and proud that CURE can provide this level of support to the Precision Medicine Program at the Aflac Cancer Center and to critical research, which we are confident will lead to innovative treatments for children with cancer,” said Kristin Connor, Executive Director for CURE. “The Precision Medicine Program, our highest priority, ensures children with cancer treated here have the most innovative form of treatment available to them. The research we are funding is aimed at improving survival with safer treatments which will not compromise the rest of a child’s life.”

“We are incredibly grateful to CURE Childhood Cancer for their long-standing support of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center,” said Douglas K. Graham, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. “CURE has allowed us to advance our research and care efforts through their support of both the Aflac Precision Medicine Program and individual research projects. At the Center, we’re making progress towards better treatment options and more cures because of CURE’s support.”

“With CURE’s support of the Aflac Precision Medicine Program, we have been able to develop novel, cutting-edge research approaches to enhance the safety and efficacy of personalized medicine treatments for our pediatric patients,” said Daniel Wechsler, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “Because of CURE, we’re able to provide new hope to families who have rare or difficult to treat cancers.”

In an effort to ensure the best and brightest young doctors are trained to care for children with cancer and to research cures, CURE will fully fund training for two pediatric oncology fellows. In addition to fully funding the Precision Medicine Program, CURE is also providing funding to seven investigators for their research.

CURE’s 2020-2021 Pediatric Cancer Research Initiative includes the following studies:

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta/Emory University

  • Aflac Precision Medicine Program
  • Deborah DeRyckere, PhD – Nanoparticle delivery of MRX-2843 for treatment of pediatric leukemia
  • Robert Castellino, MD – Identifying and targeting therapeutic vulnerabilities in DIPG
  • Curtis Henry, PhD – Delineating the impact of anti-Galectin-9 immunotherapy on t-cell all epigenetics and survival
  • Shubin Shahab, MD, PhD – Deciphering the oncogenic potential of LIN28B in group 3 medulloblastoma
  • Karen Effinger, MD, MS – Evaluation of vestibular dysfunction in survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer treated with platinum-based chemotherapies
  •  Swati Bhasin, PhD – Therapeutic targeting of single cell RNA Seq derived t-all blast signatures
  • Waitman Aumann, MD – The role of SIX1 in CALM-AF10 and other t-cell leukemias
  • Full funding of 2 fellowships

Children’s Healthcare of Philadelphia

  • Michael Chorny, PhD – Combination Therapy of Neuroblastoma Using Co-drug Impregnated Nanocarriers

About CURE Childhood Cancer
Founded in 1975, Atlanta, Georgia-based CURE Childhood Cancer is dedicated to conquering childhood cancer through funding targeted research while supporting patients and their families. With cancer as the second leading cause of death in children, CURE dedicates funding to specific research projects aimed at curing cancers that affect children. Through innovative programming, CURE Childhood Cancer also provides crisis oriented support to patients and their families, addressing their most critical and urgent needs. For more information visit www.curechildhoodcancer.org.

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Media contact: Jennifer Grizzle, 404.291.1310 or [email protected]