Assorted news from the last week: CAC2 Member Joe Baber urges community members to take immediate action to secure Senate passage of the Creating Hope Reauthorization Act, in this guest blog post. “Because of the incentives in this bill, for the first time, we now have several kids’ cancer drugs in development,” Joe writes. “We cannot allow this bill to die on the Senate floor! The House passed a version of this bill on September 30, but so far, only two of our 100 Senators have cosponsored the Senate version. It will die if it doesn’t pass by December 11.” […]
Read moreAll posts by CAC2
CAC2 Member Blog–Don’t let HOPE die in the US Senate!
By CAC2 Member Joe Baber If the Creating Hope Act (S. 4010) does not pass the Senate by December 11, THIS YEAR we will lose the best tool we have ever had to inspire drug developers to produce Childhood Cancer and Rare Pediatric Disease drugs. This bill has produced 26 drugs in the last eight years, including two childhood cancer drugs. This is half of the four drugs ever approved specifically for childhood cancer. Because of the incentives in this bill, for the first time, we now have several kids’ cancer drugs in development. We cannot allow this bill to die on the Senate floor! The House passed a version [...] Read more
CAC2 Webinar–20 Years of Neuroblastoma Research Progress
Have you wondered what has driven the progress in treating relapsed and refectory neuroblastoma patients? If so, you may be interested in watching our November All-Member Webinar. CAC2 Member Gavin Lindberg (EVAN Foundation) hosted a speaker program that included Drs. Kate Matthay, Judy Villablanca, and Steve DuBois speaking on: 20 Years of Neuroblastoma Research Progress. These leaders of the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT) consortium informed the audience about the progress and challenges associated with developing new strategies for refractory and relapsed neuroblastoma patients. We also learned about the history of this 20 year-old, multi-institution network, their collaborations with the Children’s [...] Read more
CC Community News Digest (November 2-8)
Assorted news from the last week: With Election Day behind us, Congress may be in a better position now to enact another round of stimulus spending — something nonprofits say they desperately need. [NOTE: this article is gated, but access is free when you register for the site.] Childhood Cancer in Ontario: The 2020 POGO Surveillance Report provides updated childhood cancer statistics on the impact and burden of cancer in children aged 0–14 years in Ontario. By monitoring and publicly reporting Ontario childhood cancer statistics, POGO ensures the right data are available and being used to drive an effective childhood […]
Read moreCC Community News Digest (October 26-November 1)
Assorted news from the last week: Children with birth defects who were conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) were more likely to develop childhood cancer compared to those conceived naturally, according to the results of a cohort study originating at Michigan State University. The likelihood of cancer survivors developing a new, unrelated malignancy is “about 10 to 20 percent higher” than someone in the general population. The insurance dropout rate among adolescents and young adult cancer survivors may have been lowered due to the dependent coverage provision in the Affordable Care Act, according to the findings of a new study […]
Read moreCC Community News Digest (October 19-25)
Assorted news from the last week: The International Cancer Research Partnership (ICRP) published results from its Impact of Covid-19 on childhood cancer research funding organizations survey More news about the effect of Covid-19 on cancer research (all types, not just pediatric and AYA). A team of scientists at Texas A&M University have developed a way to more accurately both detect and monitor a common type of pediatric brain cancer, setting the stage for giving clinicians a real-time view into how the cancer responds to treatment. Researchers at the University of Michigan have demonstrated that a new liquid biopsy approach overcomes traditional barriers to [...] Read more
CAC2 Webinar–Pediatric Cancer Data Commons: A Story of Impact and Promise
Have you heard of the ways in which data science is advancing pediatric cancer research? You may be interested in watching our October All-Member Webinar. CAC2 Member Mariah Forster Olson (Neuroblastoma Cancer research Foundation) introduced Dr. Sam Volchenboum, who spoke about his work leading the Pediatric Cancer Data Commons at the University of Chicago Medicine. During the presentation Volchenboum highlighted the ways in which data science is advancing pediatric cancer research and discussed how this work can be influential for cancer survivors. He was gracious enough to answer the many questions posed by our members. Dr. Volchenboum graciously allowed us [...] Read more
CC Community News Digest (October 12-18)
Assorted news from the last week: This year’s Cancer Grand Challenges (funded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute) include a category for Solid Tumors in Children. Contract Research Organization PRA Health Sciences published a white paper encouraging industry sponsors to identify, seek out, and partner with patient organizations as they try to meet the demands of the RACE for Children Act. OncoHeroes BioSciences announced that its therapeutic Volasertib received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma and other rare soft tissue sarcomas. Cooking up Change launched this video and a […]
Read moreCC Community News Digest (October 5-11)
Assorted news from the last week: Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have genetically modified human NKT cells with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that enables them to specifically recognize and attack neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer. In a recent Journal of Clinical Oncology article, members from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) expressed the need for trial sponsors to coordinate their submissions of initial pediatric study plans (iPSP) and pediatric investigation plans (PIP) with regulatory authorities in order to facilitate pediatric cancer drug […]
Read moreCC Community News Digest (week of September 28-October 4)
Assorted news from the last week: Twenty percent of children treated with drugs called anthracyclines go on to suffer heart failure later in life. Dr. Greg Aune explores why. Research to develop a new treatment and bring a new drug to market is extremely expensive, and conventional methods for obtaining funding aren’t adequate. New funding models can help disease-focused nonprofit research foundations play a central role in raising capital and mobilizing an ecosystem focused on controlling and curing a disease. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed S.Res.742 – A Senate Resolution designating September as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Senators Manchin […]
Read more