Collaboration Supports Innovative, Less-Toxic Cancer Treatments for Pediatric Patients
ORLANDO, Fla. (August 15, 2024) — Florida-based Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation and New Jersey-based Trial Blazers for Kids have announced a collaboration that will provide $150,000 in funding to support a clinical trial treating rare pediatric cancers diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG). The trial is led by Dr. Michelle Monje, a professor of pediatric neuro-oncology at Stanford University.
DIPG and DMG are among the most aggressive and deadly pediatric brain cancers. Children diagnosed with DIPG face a five-year survival rate of less than one percent. The joint effort aims to support innovative research and increase access to new treatment options for children. The funded clinical trial uses CAR T cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy that uses a patient’s own immune cells to target and destroy cancer cells.
The joint funding from Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation and Trial Blazers for Kids will support 12 additional treatment options for children battling DIPG or DMG, significantly increasing access to these innovative therapies. Additionally, the collaboration provides crucial gap funding, ensuring the continuity of the trial focused on developing less-toxic treatments for high-risk pediatric cancers.
“We are honored to partner with Trial Blazers for Kids to support this vital research,” said Dana Nichols, executive director of CKc. “Our combined efforts will not only advance scientific understanding but also provide immediate support to young patients in need.”
Joshua Kestler, Co-Founder of Trial Blazers for Kids, added, “We have been following Dr. Monje’s innovative work over the last several years, and we are grateful for the opportunity to help further advance this research in collaboration with our amazing partners at CKc and to provide hope to children battling DIPG and DMG.”
Media Contact: Wendy J. Roundtree, APR
[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 $3.9 million in funding for 36 research grants creating 787 options for treatment for children in 32 states, DC, Canada, Scotland, and Switzerland. To learn more about CKc and its ongoing fight against childhood cancers, please visit https://cannonballkidscancer.org.
[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.]
