Our January blog announced that the time had come for the pediatric childhood community to rally behind a common goal: to reduce childhood brain cancer deaths 50% by 2030. This requires the full engagement of the entire pediatric cancer community, with a collective commitment to three strategic imperatives:

· Create a Comprehensive Brain Tumor Database

· Leverage Generative AI

· Develop Nontoxic Treatments

Realizing these strategic imperatives will require a fundamental shift in the culture of the pediatric cancer community, centered around:

· Collaboration: pool /share research initiatives, resources, data and funding.

· Focus: harness more resources behind fewer initiatives.

An overview of the pediatric cancer brain tumor community follows:

· Research Sector: This includes all pediatric cancer research institutions that are not part of the private sector. From a planning perspective, it is important to note that five of the organizations account for most of the research while two hundred institutions belong to the Children’s Oncology Group.

· Nonprofits: It is estimated that 50% of pediatric cancer research funding comes from nonprofits. This sector can be divided into two categories:

•  The ten largest nonprofits that account for 80% of pediatric cancer research funding.
• Smaller nonprofits that are members of a pediatric brain tumor coalition or network.

· Public Sector: Principal participants are federal government entities, the National Cancer Instititute (NCI Funding/Policy and Cancer Research Centers), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and Legislators. While NCI manages the bulk of the load, each department is important.

· Private Sector: there are two primary segments, pharmaceuticals and technology (tech) companies.

• Pharmaceutical Companies: historically, this industry’s participation has been limited in the pediatric space. Recent legislation now requires a greater contribution and involvement by applying learnings from adult brain tumor research.
• Tech Companies: Companies involved with artificial intelligence (AI) can play a transformative role in accelerating the pace of pediatric brain tumor cancer discovery through data analysis, precision medicine, and more.

In the following blogs of this series, we will outline the expectations from each sector within the pediatric cancer brain tumor community.

Exploring the Power of Non-Toxic Treatments

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time to spotlight the tens of thousands of children and families immersed in the devastating reality of this catastrophic disease. And, while traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation have increased survival chances for many forms of the disease, there are prevalent, sometimes severe, long-term health concerns that linger long after these kids grow into adulthood. Undeniably, there is a need for safer, more effective options.

Bridge To A Cure Foundation invests in developing nontoxic treatments for pediatric patients, precision medicine powered by AI discovery, and therapies that tap into the body’s systems to fight against childhood cancer.

Angiogenesis: Cutting Off Cancer’s Blood Supply

Of the many promising approaches Bridge To A Cure is funding, angiogenesis is the most exciting. Angiogenesis involves targeting the blood vessels that nourish tumors. Cancer cells are notorious for hijacking the body’s natural process of blood vessel growth to sustain themselves. By disrupting this process, researchers hope to starve tumors and prevent their spread.

Angiogenesis inhibitors are medications that block the signals that encourage blood vessel growth. These drugs can be used alone or in combination with other treatments. While still under development, early studies suggest that angiogenesis inhibitors may have fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy, making them a more tolerable option for children.

Precision Medicine: Tailoring Treatment to the Individual

Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, is a revolutionary approach that aims to tailor treatments to the specific genetic makeup of a patient’s cancer. This approach recognizes that no two cancers are alike; therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach may not be optimal.

AI-powered discovery is playing a crucial role in advancing precision medicine. By analyzing vast amounts of genetic data, AI algorithms can identify unique genetic mutations associated with different types of cancer and what treatments have been shown to work best for a specific mutation. This information can help doctors select each patient’s most effective treatment options.

For example, if a specific genetic mutation drives a child’s cancer, researchers may be able to develop targeted therapies that specifically attack that mutation, minimizing damage to healthy cells. This personalized approach can improve treatment outcomes and reduce side effects.

Immunotherapy: Unleashing the Body’s Inherent Defense

Immunotherapy is another promising avenue for treating childhood cancer. This approach leverages the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. The immune system is a complex network of cells and proteins that help protect the body from infections and diseases. Unfortunately, cancer cells can sometimes evade the immune system’s detection or even manipulate it to their advantage.

Immunotherapy aims to restore the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack cancer cells. One type of immunotherapy involves antibodies that help activate the immune system’s T-cells, specialized cells that can destroy cancer cells. Another approach involves removing immune cells from the patient’s body, modifying them in the laboratory to make them more effective against cancer, and reintroducing them back into the patient.

While immunotherapy has shown remarkable success in treating certain adult cancers, its application in childhood cancer is still being explored. However, early studies suggest immunotherapy may induce long-lasting remissions or even cures in some children. 

A Brighter Future

The mountain of challenges posed by childhood cancer is indeed steep, but the development of nontoxic treatments offers hope for a brighter future. Angiogenesis, precision medicine powered by AI discovery, and immunotherapy promise to provide safer and more effective options for children faced with this devastating disease.

This latest investment by Bridge To A Cure exemplifies our commitment to collaboration, open science, and strategic partnership to end childhood cancer. With support from people like you, Bridge To A Cure drives significant progress in childhood cancer research by fostering a more united and efficient research community. Our goal of fulfilling the promise starts with accelerating the development of innovative therapies but won’t end until we secure a future where childhood cancer ceases to exist. Together, we are bridging the gap to deliver better treatments and cures.

Childhood cancer is a complex disease that can manifest in various forms, each with its unique characteristics and challenges. Traditional research methods have provided valuable insights but often fail to unravel the intricate biological mechanisms underlying these diseases fully. To address this, scientists are turning to a groundbreaking approach known as multiomics.

What is Multiomics?

Multiomics is a comprehensive research strategy that simultaneously analyzes multiple layers of biological information, including:

• Genomics: The study of an organism’s complete set of DNA.
• Transcriptomics: The study of the RNA molecules produced by an organism.
• Proteomics: The study of the proteins produced by an organism.
• Metabolomics: The study of the small molecules involved in metabolism.

By integrating these different data sets, researchers gain a more holistic understanding of the biological processes involved in disease development and progression.

Bridge To A Cure Foundation and Multiomics Research

The Bridge To A Cure Foundation is committed to advancing childhood cancer research and improving treatment outcomes. By supporting multiomics research, the foundation is helping to drive significant advancements in this field.

One key benefit of multi-omics research is its ability to identify new therapeutic targets. By analyzing childhood cancer cells’ genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic profiles, researchers can uncover specific molecular pathways essential for tumor growth and survival. This information can then be used to develop targeted therapies that selectively attack cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissues.

Another important application of multiomics research is the development of personalized treatment plans. Traditional treatment approaches often involve a one-size-fits-all approach, which may only be optimal for some patients. Multiomics can help identify biomarkers predicting how a patient will respond to a particular treatment. This information can be used to tailor treatment plans to each patient’s specific needs, potentially improving outcomes and reducing side effects.

Challenges and Future Directions

While multiomics research holds great promise for advancing childhood cancer research, it also presents significant challenges. One of the main challenges is the sheer volume of data generated by these studies. Analyzing and interpreting this data requires sophisticated computational tools and expertise, which don’t come cheaply. Additionally, there is a need for standardized protocols and data-sharing initiatives to ensure that multiomics data can be effectively compared and integrated across different research groups.

Bridge To A Cure is tackling these complex challenges head-on by funding the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) with $200,000 to explore data-driven solutions, including AI-powered tools, to streamline the extraction and analysis of electronic health records (EHR) data.

The Bridge To A Cure Foundation believes in advanced research approaches, like multiomics research, working tirelessly to improve the lives of children battling cancer. By supporting this groundbreaking approach, we can accelerate the development of new and effective therapies that ultimately lead to a cure.

In this, the third of our three-part series on leading-edge research in childhood cancer, Bridge To A Cure informs of a novel approach to research in which we are investing. We’ve taken a look at scientific approaches in the areas of immunotherapy and angiogenesis. Now, let’s explore what else researchers are uncovering within kids’ own bodies to combat challenging and often aggressive childhood brain tumors, apoptosis.

Apoptosis: Programming Cancer Cell Death To Save A Life

Often called “programmed cell death,” apoptosis is a crucial process in developing and maintaining healthy tissues in the body. It allows the body to remove cells that are no longer needed or that could potentially become harmful, such as damaged, diseased, or cancerous cells. In the context of childhood brain tumors, leveraging apoptosis has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy.

Childhood brain tumors represent a diverse group of diseases that vary significantly in their prognosis and treatment options. Traditional treatments, such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, often referred to as “standard of care,” has been devastating to the children with brain tumors and their parents:

The Journey is Horrific

• Frightful, excessive, and severe chronic pain
• Excruciating and harmful emotional strain
• Work disruption/Financial devastation
• Ongoing deep psychological damage

Those that Survive, Suffer

• 95% who survive have significant health-related issues later in life
• The emotional strain continues
• Occupational/Financial recovery is a serious challenge

The strategy of inducing apoptosis in cancer cells offers a targeted approach to therapy, aiming to minimize harm to healthy tissues while effectively eliminating cancer cells.

Cancer cells often evade apoptosis, which is one of the reasons they can grow uncontrollably. By understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie this evasion, researchers will be able to develop drugs and therapies that can specifically trigger apoptosis in cancer cells.

One approach to induce apoptosis in childhood brain tumors is with targeted therapies that home in on specific genetic mutations or pathways that are active in cancer cells but not in healthy cells. For example, some drugs can target the proteins involved in the pathways that regulate cell survival and death, effectively reactivating the apoptosis process in cancer cells.

Another promising strategy involves immunotherapy, which enhances the body’s immune response against cancer cells. Certain types of immunotherapies can help recognize and destroy cancer cells by triggering apoptosis, offering a more personalized and effective treatment option for pediatric brain tumor patients.

Gene therapy is also being explored to correct the genetic mutations that prevent apoptosis in cancer cells. By repairing or replacing the defective genes, this approach seeks to restore the natural process of programmed cell death, thereby reducing tumor growth and potentially leading to a cure.

The use of apoptosis in treating childhood brain tumors represents a significant shift towards more targeted and less toxic treatments. While research in this area is ongoing, early clinical trials and studies have shown promising results, offering hope for more effective and safer treatments for young patients with brain tumors. Bridge To A Cure wants to accelerate progress in this area via a research initiative that draws on the databases now available and the analytical/diagnostic capabilities of artificial intelligence. The goal is to replace the horrific standard of care approach used today with an approach that is nontoxic and that cures.

Bridge To A Cure Foundation continues our ambitious mission to unite and transform the childhood cancer research community to reduce childhood cancer deaths 50% by 2030. We have discovered and worked to remove the barriers that, for so long, have held back progress toward cures. We have identified like-minded experts to form partnerships that push the entire research community forward. And now, we have identified three key areas of research that we at Bridge To A Cure believe hold the promise of finding cures. This is the first of three articles introducing groundbreaking research initiatives in our foundation investing: immunotherapy, angiogenesis, and apoptosis.

Immunotherapy: Harnessing the Body’s Ability to Fight Disease

Immunotherapy represents a groundbreaking shift in cancer treatment, offering new hope for curing childhood brain tumors. Unlike traditional treatments that broadly target rapidly dividing cells, immunotherapy works by harnessing the body’s immune system to fight cancer more precisely and effectively.

Patients with a pediatric brain tumor — among the most challenging cancers to treat due to their delicate location — have seen significant advancements in treatment options with the advent of immunotherapy. This treatment approach includes a variety of modes such as checkpoint inhibitors, CAR T-cell therapy, and cancer vaccines, each designed to boost the immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Checkpoint inhibitors work by blocking the proteins that cancer cells use to hide from the immune system, essentially “unmasking” the cancer cells and allowing the immune system to detect and eliminate them. CAR T-cell therapy involves collecting the patient’s immune cells, genetically modifying them in a lab to better recognize cancer cells, and then infusing these enhanced cells back into the patient to seek out and destroy cancer. Cancer vaccines, on the other hand, are designed to provoke the immune system to attack specific cancer cells.

One of the key advantages of immunotherapy in treating childhood brain tumors is its potential for specificity.

By targeting the tumor cells while sparing healthy brain tissue, immunotherapy can reduce the side effects associated with conventional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, which are particularly concerning in growing children due to the risk of long-term cognitive and developmental issues.

Moreover, immunotherapy offers the promise of durable responses, meaning that some patients may achieve long-term control over their cancer, turning it into a manageable chronic condition. This is a significant step forward in improving the quality of life and survival rates for children with brain tumors.

While the application of immunotherapy in childhood brain tumors is still an area of active research, early clinical trials have shown promising results, offering hope to families facing these daunting diagnoses. As researchers continue to understand how best to harness the immune system against these brain tumors, immunotherapy stands poised to transform the landscape of cancer treatment, potentially offering a cure for some of the most challenging cancers affecting children. Bridge To A Cure wants to accelerate progress in this area via a research initiative that draws on the databases now available and the analytical/diagnostic capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI).

Our goal for a childhood brain tumor cancer cure by 2030 continues to progress. Our enthusiasm and optimism about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing the search for a cure for childhood brain tumor cancer is why. The intersection of advanced technology and medical research holds immense promise, and AI stands out as a powerful tool in this endeavor.

AI algorithms can significantly enhance the analysis of vast and complex datasets related to childhood brain tumors. The ability of AI to process and identify patterns in large sets of genetic, clinical, and imaging data allows researchers to unravel intricate connections that may contribute to the development and progression of these cancers. This, in turn, accelerates the identification of potential therapeutic targets. Thanks to our alliance partner at the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN), these data sets are now available to researchers worldwide.

Indeed, AI-driven image analysis plays a crucial role in the field of medical imaging, aiding in the early detection and precise monitoring of brain tumors.

By leveraging machine learning algorithms, medical professionals can obtain more accurate and efficient results from imaging studies. This expedites the diagnosis and facilitates timely interventions, thereby improving the prognosis for young patients.

In one promising study by CBTN, 250 brain tumor subject scans were used to generate an AI algorithm. This algorithm generated 3-dimensional segmentations automatically, making note of any tumor progression. This model effectively captured tumor progression earlier than the traditional method in more than half of the cases.

Additionally, the application of AI in drug discovery is a game-changer for developing targeted therapies. By simulating and predicting the interactions between various drug compounds and specific cancer biomarkers, AI expedites the identification of potential drugs that could effectively combat childhood brain tumors. This approach not only reduces the time and resources required for drug development but also increases the likelihood of finding treatments tailored to the unique characteristics of each patient’s cancer. In fact, time has been reduced from 12 years to 4 years. Truly a game-changer.

AI enables the personalization of treatment plans through the analysis of individual patient data. This tailoring of therapies based on a patient’s genetic makeup, response to treatment, and other relevant factors enhances treatment efficacy while minimizing potential side effects. The era of precision medicine, powered by AI, offers a more targeted and less invasive approach to treating childhood brain tumors.

The integration of artificial intelligence into the realm of childhood brain tumor cancer research holds immense promise. From deciphering complex datasets to improving diagnostic accuracy, streamlining drug discovery, and enabling personalized treatment strategies, AI stands as a catalyst for innovation in the quest for a cure. As we continue to explore the vast potential of AI in healthcare, we at Bridge To A Cure Foundation are hopeful that these advancements will bring us closer to a future where childhood brain tumors are not only treatable, but ultimately curable.

This article shares with you the significance of data in developing childhood cancer research cures, and how that data is collected and shared with the scientific community.

The Data Bridge

The “bridge” in Bridge To A Cure Foundation is built from data — all different kinds of data that help the childhood cancer research community discover new cures. There are many data points to construct the bridge, but biospecimens — in this case, tumor tissue — are by far most important to building a robust data set.

Learning how cancer changes how our cells use DNA and RNA provides critical clues for researchers Seeking out these clues requires quality analysis of DNA and RNA molecules and genes.

Last fall, Bridge To A Cure Foundation partner Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) announced that it was awarded game-changing resources provided through a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program for their Project Accelerate initiative. And in our October 2021 blog “Bridge To A Cure Alliance Partner Awarded Critical Resource Support,” we shared how Project Accelerate promises to turbo-charge the search for childhood brain tumor cures by connecting researchers around the world to the data they desperately need to make new breakthroughs.

The CBTN Operations team has worked feverishly to extract the data from more than 7,000 biospecimens and is making it available to researchers worldwide because we believe a cure for childhood brain tumors exists in this data. Not only that, the data is linked to clinical data, medical models, and other specimens that can be used to provide personalized medicine for each individual child battling the disease. This type of precision medicine improves outcomes for kids. Project Accelerate is the culmination of ten years of work by CBTN to create the infrastructure and collaboration needed to accelerate cures.

CBTN will add this flood of information produced through Project Accelerate to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas, making it freely accessible to researchers worldwide by the end of the year.

The Data Journey

Project Accelerate is already underway. This transformational effort is painstaking and requires significant financial investment to see it through to usable data. There are several steps to extracting the precious information we need and delivering it in a form that scientists can use in their research:

Identify the sample. While all types of childhood brain tumors are included in this monumental effort, CBTN is focused first on tumors that most greatly impact a child’s quality of life. CBTN institution lab technicians identify individual tumor samples from among thousands housed in their biobank to ensure this priority.

Extract the DNA and RNA. Technicians extract sample DNA and RNA from the tumor tissue.

Code the data set. Each sample pulled from the tumor tissue is coded with its own tracking information so that it can be traced back to its origin.

Ship data set samples. The coded data set is shipped in a climate-controlled environment with care not to disturb the data sets as they are in transit to the Broad Institute, an MIT and Harvard University collaboration.

Characterize the data. At the Broad Institute, molecular characterization data is generated on each of the samples. They are looking for presence of certain genetic changes in tumor tissue, such as gene mutations or other changes in the DNA or RNA.

Catalog the data. The processed data is recorded by its code and the data set information is added to the CBTN Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas.

Distribute the data. Scientists and researchers can now access the additional data to look for patterns and anomalies that before would not have been possible to observe—promising new advancements toward cures.

When you give to Bridge To A Cure Foundation, you support this arduous bridge-building process now underway at CBTN with Project Accelerate. We need your help right now to uncover the clues — and the cures — we know are hidden in the data. Support Project Accelerate here.

These two nonprofits exemplify the cooperative framework we need to accelerate research and find cures

There are over 100 organizations in the US defined as “childhood cancer interest groups.” From small family foundations started in memory of a child to big national organizations like the American Cancer Society, they are all working on different aspects of one problem: too many kids still suffer and die from cancer.

Their goals include supporting families, advocating for children with cancer, building awareness, and finding cures for childhood cancers, according to the Pediatric Oncology Group, which compiles the list.

The list is not all-inclusive; the actual number of nonprofits devoted to childhood cancer is almost certainly larger. Yet despite all these efforts, cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease for children in the U.S. and worldwide.

The “success story” that 80 percent of child cancer patients survive five years is commonly reported. Yet an estimated 1,800 children die in the US each year from cancer, and thousands more endure painful and debilitating treatments as their families watch helplessly. Further, the vast majority of those that do survive beyond those five years face lifelong physical and psychological impacts from cancer and the toxic treatments they received to beat it.

In our November blog, “Is Your Donation Doing the Most Possible Good?,” we identified five factors that the most effective nonprofits share. These groups:

1. Identify the problem in a fact-based, clearly articulated, and compelling way.
2. Set an audacious and clearly stated goal that is inspirational and measurable.
3. Set a deadline to achieve the goal and milestones along the way.
4. Rely on sound strategy, including mapping out processes systematically and holistically; identifying key players, issues and opportunities; and allocating resources and talent required to deliver the goal.
5. Collaborate with other groups, creating a shared vision to solve problems and utilize resources most efficiently.

At Bridge To A Cure Foundation, we are working to build cooperative relationships with organizations aligned with our mission.

Here are two outstanding childhood cancer initiatives that are worthy of support:

Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN)

CBTN drives innovative discoveries, pioneers new treatments and accelerates open science to improve the health of every child and young adult diagnosed with a brain tumor. They provide their database to any researcher or scientist who needs it. This open approach to data is closely aligned with our goals to ensure stakeholders in the fight against childhood cancer collaborate to accelerate cures.

For example, CBTN is now working on 170 research projects involving 3,500 study participants and more than 20 leading childhood brain tumor research and treatment centers across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Member institutions contribute disease and scientific expertise; develop precision-based clinical trials; enroll research subjects; and collect biospecimens, clinical data, and other information needed for research. All these provide researchers with a comprehensive view of childhood brain tumor biology to aid the discovery of more effective therapies.

Brain and central nervous system tumors are the most common cause of death by disease in children from birth to 19 years old in the U.S. and across the globe, affecting 412,000 children and young adults each year. Yet as the CBTN points out, there has never been a drug developed to treat childhood brain tumors.

The CBTN is developing model for attacking brain tumors that can be applied to help all children facing cancer. Because there aren’t enough samples or information at any one hospital for researchers to make meaningful impact on their own, the group pulls together this data globally. CBTN projects explore the genetic underpinnings of distinct tumors in infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Any researcher can apply to access data or submit specimens.

Consistent with Bridge To A Cure’s mission, the organization is working to make sure data gets into the hands of people who can make discoveries. We are proud to support their work.

Pediatric Cancer Data Commons (PCDC)

PCDC brings together clinical, genomic, and imaging data from institutions around the world to transform pediatric cancer research and outcomes. They do the critical work of developing the lexicon required to build an effective database to fight childhood cancer.

Based at the University of Chicago, the PCDC works with international leaders in pediatric cancers and the National Cancer Institute to harmonize existing clinical research data and standardize data collection.

By streamlining the process of bringing data together, the PCDC is aligned with our mission to tear down long-standing barriers that have held back progress in research. Through its PCDC Consortium, it is developing a common core data dictionary and governance for seven pediatric cancers: neuroblastoma, soft tissue sarcoma, acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, germ cell tumors, bone tumors, and Hodgkin lymphoma.

Collaboration Around Aligned Goals

Both groups also include key players in the National Cancer Institute’s Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI). For instance, Samuel L. Volchenboum, MD, PhD, MS, head of the Volchenboum Lab at the University of Chicago that hosts the PCDC, serves as a member of the CCDI. Adam Resnick, PhD, the Director of Data Driven Discovery in Biomedicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is working with both the Children’s Brain Tumor Network and CCDI.

These are some of the key players working in alignment with Bridge To A Cure’s approach to increase collaboration, funding and protocols toward finding cures for cancer in children.

We are working to expand alliances, like the one we’ve developed with the Pediatric Cancer Data Commons, and we are in talks with Children’s Brain Tumor Network to look at how we can collaborate. Both of these nonprofits are leaders in developing a robust national database and bio-specimen bank that supports research and breakthroughs for childhood cancer in a comprehensive, systemic way.

This month, we acknowledge those committed to identifying and destroying the most horrific terrorist cells in America – cancer cells!

These terrorist cells kill more children than any other disease. If we are to destroy them, we will need to provide our healthcare professionals with the medical arsenal to fight the fiercest terrorists targeting our children.

Thanks to the insight and input collected by the Bridge to a Cure Foundation from over 120 childhood cancer researchers and practitioners, we now know what our medical professionals need to finally wipe out these terrorist cells that target our children:

• A robust and dynamic national childhood cancer database.
• Algorithms that optimize the full capability of artificial intelligence.
• A simplified, sensitized, and modernized clinical trial process.
• A methodology to evaluate/approve alternative medicines/treatments.
• Collaboration and alignment within and across institutions.
• Pharmaceutical companies motivated to invest in ending childhood cancer.

CHILDHOOD CANCER HEROES

There were many institutions and medical professionals involved in the identification and development of these remedies for which we are appreciative. Today, we would like to give special recognition to those whose counsel and support have made a significant contribution to Bridge to a Cure’s work to identify the armaments we need to win the war on childhood cancer:

• Dr. Darell Bigner – Duke Cancer Institute
• Dr. Saskia Biskup – Center for Genomics and Transcriptomics, Germany
• Dr. Melissa Bondy – MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Dr. Alberto Broniscer – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Dr. Robert Darnell – The Rockefeller University
• Dr. Ira Dunkel – Memorial Sloan Kettering
• Dr. Henry Friedman – Neuro-oncologist, Duke Cancer Center
• Dr. James Garvin – NY Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
• Dr. Todd Golub – The Broad Institute
• Dr. Dirk Hadaschik – CeGat Germany
• John Kelly III – Senior Vice President, IBM
• Dr. Robert Kerbel – Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto
• Dr. Mark Kieran – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Rebecca Lambert – NED Biosystems
• Dr. John Letterio – University Hospital Cleveland
• Dr. Duane Mitchell – University of Florida
• Dr. Filiberto Munoz – San Diego Clinic, Mexico
• Dr. Jeremy Rich – Cleveland Clinic
• Dr. Ned Sharpless – Director, National Cancer Institute
• Dr. Linda Van Aelst – Cold Spring Harbor Labs
• Dr. William Weiss – University of California, San Francisco
• Dr. Ben Williams – Anti-Cancer Alliance

We especially want to give recognition to the institutions and individuals that have advanced the effort to develop the arsenal needed to destroy childhood cancer cells. These are the ones who want to change the status quo — the ones who realize that we cannot continue to repeat what has not worked and who feel the urgency to implement a better approach to childhood cancer research.

IBM’s Watson computer system uses artificial intelligence (AI) to aid cancer research.

KEY INITIATIVES

• A robust and dynamic national childhood cancer database — The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) aims to make it easier for researchers to learn from each of the approximately 16,000 children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer in the US each year. CCDI is the beginning of realizing Bridge to A Cure’s top objective: creating a robust national database that contains everything we know about childhood cancers. CCDI aims to maximize every opportunity to improve treatments and outcomes for children with cancer; build a connected data infrastructure to enable sharing of childhood cancer data from multiple sources; identify opportunities to make data work better for patients, clinicians, and researchers; and develop and enhance tools and methods to extract knowledge from data.

• Algorithms that optimize the full capability of artificial intelligence — We are beginning to see AI used to guide cancer management, with the most prominent example being IBM’s Watson for Oncology (WFO). Each month Watson ingests about 10,000 new scientific articles and data on 100 new clinical trials to keep up-to-date on new findings. While some point to the system’s limitations, it is important to keep in mind how new the technology is, and to recognize those who are adapting it to the real world fight against cancer. Other childhood cancer institutions experimenting with the potential of AI include: Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Pediatric Molecular Imaging Program and the Department of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Section, both at Stanford University School of Medicine; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; the Department of Pediatrics, UNC School of Medicine; and the Sherry and John Woo Center for Big Data and Precision Health at Duke University.

• A simplified, sensitized, and modernized clinical trial process — Organizations such as The New York Genome Center are using state-of-the-art genomic technologies and collaborating with leading research institutions to investigate the origins, diagnosis, and evolution of cancer. This includes working with The Broad Institute to simulate pediatric tumors in the laboratory to the map the capacity of tumors to develop resistance to drugs and drug combinations.

• A methodology to evaluate/approve alternative medicines/treatments — Opposition to alternative treatments is one of the barriers we’re working to remove in the fight against pediatric cancer. Some efforts worthy of recognition include research studies in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) to reduce symptoms and improve well-being for children with cancer. While most of these have been limited to single institutions, publications such as The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine are providing peer-reviewed studies to evaluate and integrate of CAM into mainstream medical practice. Medical marijuana is another promising area. Research by Yale Cancer Center showed a majority of pediatric cancer providers endorse its potential use for children with advanced cancer, although clinicians want to see much stronger clinical evidence that marijuana treatments can help relieve symptoms such as nausea and pain.

• Collaboration and alignment within and across institutions — We see increasing recognition of our goal of increasing collaboration among groups such as Stand Up To Cancer. SU2C funds “multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborative research projects that address critical problems in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to deliver near-term patient benefit.”

• Motivating pharmaceutical companies to invest in ending childhood cancer — As millennials become the dominant force in corporate culture, they demand companies work to improve the common good and not just the bottom line. Impact investing is one way to achieve both financial and social returns. Although impact investing is a relatively new strategy, its global market size is estimated to be $228 billion and growing, with 75% of investments generated from private investing strategies. Last year the CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with over $6 trillion in investments, called on CEOs of the world’s largest public companies to not just deliver profits but to fulfill their responsibility to make “a positive contribution to society.” The time is right to capitalize on the movement to value companies for their contributions to improving the human condition in addition to sustainable profit growth.

These are just a few of the innovations we want to highlight for International Children’s Cancer Day, which took place on February 15th. There are many others. As we raise awareness of the children battling cancer, we must focus and accelerate the momentum toward achieving the breakthroughs kids and their families so desperately need.

In closing, we want to dedicate International Childhood Cancer Day to all the childhood cancer researchers and child oncologist professionals for their dedication, caring, and drive to make a difference. Their commitment to saving children is a challenge both intellectually and emotionally. These dedicated professionals are motivated by the desire to save lives and to stop the diseases that remain the most common cause of death among children in America.