Dr. Joshua Breunig, PhD, of Cedars-Sinai, is a 2024 CureSearch Acceleration Initiative AwardeeThe urgent need for advanced childhood brain cancer research Pediatric glioma, a devastating brain cancer affecting children and young adults, poses significant challenges in treatment due to its aggressive nature, limited therapeutic options, and the long-term side effects. The urgent need for more effective treatment options drives researchers, like Dr. Joshua Breunig, to innovate. One major obstacle in developing these treatments has been the absence of accurate preclinical models for testing poten ..read more

Dr. Hunter Jonus Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood arising within the developing nervous system. Approximately half of neuroblastoma patients are diagnosed with high-risk disease, which is especially aggressive with a 50% survival rate. If a child’s high-risk neuroblastoma relapses after receiving chemotherapy, overall survival plummets below 20%. The few children that do survive often suffer significant long-term treatment related toxicities and are at a higher risk for secondary malignancies.  Dr. Hunter Jonus, PhD, a CureSearch Young Investigator at ..read more

Dr. Babak Moghimi Acute Myeloid leukemia (AML) is the second most common leukemia in children, and the prognosis after relapse is poor. Unlike current CAR T treatment for the most common childhood leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), patients with AML experience significant toxicity with CAR T therapy. This is due, in part, to the CAR T’s target appearing on healthy cells and tumor cells, driving the therapy to attack both. Novel treatment approaches are in dire need as current AML CAR T-cells have failed to prolong survival for these very high-risk patients.   Dr. Moghimi a ..read more

Brave Barbie doll provides a friend through treatment for kids with cancer  Bethesda, Md. – October 23, 2023 – CureSearch for Children’s Cancer and Mattel are celebrating 10 years of Brave Barbie – a special Barbie created to bring hope and comfort to courageous young patients battling illness or receiving treatments that cause hair loss.  To help kids better understand and cope with hair loss, CureSearch and Mattel partnered to develop and distribute a Barbie that represents the young fighters undergoing cancer treatment.   “Brave Barbie is given to children that are goin ..read more

Monthly Supper Club supports CureSearch for Children’s Cancer  Holly Springs, N.C. – September 28, 2023 – Pimiento Tea Room, a unique tea house and restaurant in downtown Holly Springs, has raised more than $37,000 this year for CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, supporting pediatric cancer research.   In 2020, Matt and Christy Griffith transformed a historic 180-year-old farmhouse into the Holly Springs’ award-winning Pimiento Tea Room. Shortly after opening, the couple launched the monthly Supper Club, a seven-course event that features adventurous cuisine with a Southern ..read more

By Holly R. Zink, MSA, ACRP  Cancer in children differs from cancer in adults, from DNA alterations to tumor origin. More than 15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S., and while new treatments — most often designed originally for adults — have increased overall survival rates, children often face longer, more intense treatment schedules. The need for tailored treatments is crucial.   Clinical trials connect more patients to new therapies, saving more lives  Current standard therapies for many childhood cancers are over 30 years old and have lifelong ..read more

Share on social media  Our Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM) Partner Toolkit contains social media posts and graphics, including a CCAM cover photo for Facebook and LinkedIn. Adding this cover photo to your page is a quick and easy way to show your support of CureSearch and children with cancer. Additionally, we encourage you to share content directly from the CureSearch social media channels. Hitting that share button on posts helps to build our page followers and boost our post visibility. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and ..read more

A closer look at Dr. VanHeyst’s osteosarcoma study  The current standard treatment for osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, hasn’t changed much in decades. The chemotherapy that osteosarcoma patients receive is harsh, and the side effects are only magnified in children. Osteosarcoma is an aggressive cancer, and for patients with metastasis – cancer that has spread to other parts of the body – survival outcomes remain especially grim.  With funding from her CureSearch award, Dr. Kristen VanHeyst is exploring a new treatment, called immunotherapy, for osteosarcoma. Immunotherapy has recently ..read more

Jared Brancazio CureSearch Board Chair, Jared Brancazio, has been selected as one of three national finalists for the Invest in Others (IiO) Catalyst Award for his charitable work with CureSearch.   IiO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to supporting and empowering financial advisors who invest in others by giving back to their communities with overwhelming generosity.   Brancazio is the VP of Investments at Brancazio Wealth Management of Raymond James, and has spent more than 20 years in high level finance and investment roles. He’s also served in key volunteer leadership roles.&nb ..read more

A closer look at Dr. Elvin Wagenblast’s AML study Leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children. Even before a child is born, genes can undergo changes that are linked to the development of leukemia. There is a specific type of leukemia called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that has unique gene changes, including when two genes called NUP98 and NSD1 combine. About 15% of children with AML have this gene fusion, and it makes their prognosis worse. Sometimes, another gene, called WT1, also has changes in cases of AML where children experience chemotherapy-resistance.  Doctors and sc ..read more