Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation Awards $650,000 in Grants to Fuel Pediatric Cancer Research
ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 31, 2025) – Cannonball Kids’ cancer (CKc), a nonprofit dedicated to funding childhood cancer research, announced today it has awarded $650,000 in research grants to support innovative projects aimed at finding less toxic and more effective treatments for children with cancer. This brings CKc’s total investment in pediatric cancer research to over $4.5 million since its inception.
Key foundation and corporate collaborations make this year’s funding slate possible. Both the Kindred Foundation and Trial Blazers for Kids stepped up to co-fund grant projects that reflect their funding priorities, while Gilbane Building Company and Jersey Mike’s (Central Florida) made significant contributions through their annual golf outing and Day of Giving, respectively.
“Collaborative funding drives progress in pediatric cancer research,” said Bruce Parker, Chair of CKc’s Board of Directors. “By uniting foundation, donor, and corporate support, CKc accelerates the development of therapies that are safer, more effective, and designed specifically for children. Together, we have the power to save lives and change the future for children with cancer.”
This latest investment will help support the following research projects:
Michelle Monje-Deisseroth, MD, PhD
Off-cycle Program Grant: $150,000
Project Title: GD2-CAR T cell Therapy for H3K27M-altered DIPG and spinal cord DMG
Project Description: H3K27M-mutated DMGs are universally lethal tumors that express high levels of GD2 disaloganglioside and regress with IV and ICV GD2-CAR T cell therapy in preclinical models. Based on these preclinical results, Dr. Monje opened a clinical trial in 2020: NCT04196413 is a 3 + 3 Phase I dose escalation trial testing GD2-CAR T cell therapy in patients with biopsy-proven pontine or spinal cord H3K27M-mutated DMGs. Guided by their clinical experience with this therapy, this clinical trial now has 3 arms. In Arm A, they delivered GD2-CAR T cell therapy to subjects with DIPG and spinal cord DMG intravenously after a 3-day regimen of lymphodepleting (LD) chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide/fludarabine), followed by optional intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration if CAR T cell therapy was beneficial but the response was incomplete. Arms B and C tested ICV administration only, without (Arm B) or with (Arm C) lymphodepleting chemotherapy and delivered regularly at 4-6 week intervals until disease progression and up to 24 doses. They have sought to test safety and efficacy of CAR T cell therapy in children, adolescents, and young adults with DIPG and spinal cord DMG.
This grant was co-funded through a partnership with Trial Blazers for Kids.
Location: Stanford University
Allison O’Neill, MD
Clinical Trial Grant: $200,000
Project Title: 2141-V11, an agonist anti-CD40 antibody, for relapsed pediatric tumors
Project Description: This grant proposes a study of a novel antibody, 2141-V11, that binds a protein called CD40. When injected directly into a relapsed solid tumor, this anti-CD40 antibody is capable of activating embedded immune cells and potentially attracting additional immune cells to fight cancer cells. This proposal will first test the safety of 2141-V11, then the safety of combination 2141-V11 and checkpoint inhibition (i.e. an established immunotherapy in adults), and subsequently whether 2141-V11 converts the checkpoint inhibitor to a more effective drug in pediatric patients.
Location: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Giselle Saulnier Sholler, MD
Clinical Trial Grant: $200,000
Project Title: Phase II Trial of Naxitamab and Tipifarnib for Relapsed/Refractory Neuroblastoma
Project Description: Anti-GD2 antibody (mAb) immunotherapy has been found to improve overall survival in neuroblastoma (NB) patients, but a substantial subset of patients still do not respond or develop resistance to this treatment. This clinical trial tests a novel way to treat these patients with a drug, tipifarnib, that can overcome the negative effects of tiny particles released by NB tumors that can weaken the immune system. Tipifarnib restores and enhances the effectiveness of an FDA approved mAb, naxitamab, by blocking these tiny particles and restoring the immune environment in the tumor.
Location: Penn State University College of Medicine
Anirban Das, MD
Young Investigator Grant: $100,000
Project Title: Biomarker development for combined PD1+LAG3 inhibition in RRD glioblastoma
Project Description: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the leading cause of cancer-related death in children, adolescents, and young adults. Traditional therapies like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation fail to cure these patients. Dr. Das’s international consortium identified a GBM subtype arising from errors during DNA replication, which accumulate many ‘mutations’. Dr. Das obtained approval to treat selected children with a new therapy, which shows signs of effectiveness. New ‘biomarkers’ will be analyzed to validate the immune response of these patients. If successful, this combination will be tested in a larger clinical trial and become the standard of care for this previously deadly disease. This grant was co-funded through a partnership with Kindred Foundation.
Location: SickKids Toronto
The 2024 grant cycle saw a rigorous selection process, with 44 Letters of Intent (LOIs) submitted, 17 full applications reviewed by CKc’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), and ultimately, four projects chosen for funding based on their scientific merit and potential impact. This meticulous process ensures CKc supports the most promising research avenues in the fight against childhood cancers.
“By broadening our scope while intensifying our focus on pioneering, innovative research, we are ensuring that no avenue in the fight against pediatric cancer goes unexplored,” said Dana Nichols, Executive Director of CKc. “We’re proud to expand our reach by funding researchers we’ve never worked with before, while reaffirming our unwavering commitment to the incredible researchers we’ve supported in the past.”
With this latest round of funding, CKc’s total investment in childhood cancer research surpasses $4.5 million, supporting projects across 35 states and 3 countries. Every dollar donated fuels CKc’s mission to conquer childhood cancers and create a brighter future for young patients and their families.
To learn more about CKc and its ongoing fight against childhood cancers, please visit https://cannonballkidscancer.org.
Media contact: Dana Nichols, [email protected]
About Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation:
Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation’s mission is to fund innovative and accessible research for children fighting cancer to provide better treatments and quality of life and to educate for change. Their rigorous, relationship-based, invite-only grants process ensures that 94% of CKc-funded clinical trials are first-of-their-kind in the US. To date, CKc has awarded $4.5 million in funding for 40 research grants creating 922 options for treatment for children in 35 states, DC, Canada, Scotland, and Switzerland.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The “c” in cancer in the name Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation is intentionally lowercase to give the word “cancer” an inferior status.]
