On May 9 and 10, CKc’s Education Director Kelly King traveled to San Francisco to attend ANR2018 – a biennial conference hosted by the Advances in Neuroblastoma Research Association. CKc was an exhibitor at the event, allowing us to connect with decision makers who are shaping the future of neuroblastoma research and treatment. It was an honor and a “coming of age” moment for CKc, as our logo was displayed amongst the ranks of foundations we have long-respected and admired, like Alex’s Lemonade Stand and St. Baldrick’s. During the ANR Conference, Kelly also was introduced to the freshest researchers and projects in the field by attending scientific presentations and a Young Investigator reception. She noted that survivorship was a common topic of the conference as the field is facing this issue in a prominent way and investigating methods to decrease toxicity levels of treatments to improve quality of life for survivors.

While in town, Kelly made a visit to Benioff Children’s Hospital at UCSF to tour the facilities and catch up with two of our funded researchers: Pediatric Neuro-oncologists Dr. Cassie Kline-Nunnally and Dr. Sabine Mueller. Dr. Kline-Nunnally is the first recipient of a CKc Young Investigator grant and serves on our Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Mueller is the lead investigator on a first-of-its-kind immunotherapy clinical trial for brain tumors which receives funding from CKc. Kelly also met with two sarcoma investigators to discuss their latest projects and the potential for CKc funding.

The theme of this year’s ANR conference was “building bridges” and we certainly feel like new bridges were built for CKc during this trip to the Golden Gate city!