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Assorted News from the Last Week: Supporting Children and Families Through a Cancer Diagnosis by Child Life Specialist Nicolle Bengtson. Nearly 20 years since her initial diagnosis, CAC2 Member Juanita Prada now works with children who are fighting cancer just like she did. Day One Biopharmaceuticals emerged in May to develop new drugs specifically for children with cancer. Now, as it ramps up its work, the company is making a flurry of new hires and new board appointments, including a new CEO: Jeremy Bender, Ph.D., who previously led corporate development at Gilead Sciences. Challenges burden pediatric oncologists following the peak […]

Assorted News from the Last Two Weeks: National Cancer Institute’s CCDI Molecular Characterization Initiative adds rare tumors. Study provides first in-depth look at major mix-ups in the genomic terrain of pediatric high-grade gliomas. LLS is working to change the pediatric clinical trial model. The aftermath of childhood cancer:  2000 days without Ana Biden appoints former government scientist as first leader of ARPA-H. The use of tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) in children younger than 3 years of age with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was as effective, and safe, in a retrospective cohort study as it was previously seen to […]

Assorted News from the Last Two Weeks: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Imbruvica (ibrutinib) for the treatment of children aged 1 year or older with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after one or more lines of systemic therapy, according to a news release from the agency. FDA drug approvals, pediatrics — 2022 midyear review Guidebook for caregivers of children with rare and/or serious illnesses 10 gifts to give a friend whose child has cancer or another serious illness Researchers identified a metabolic vulnerability in neuroblastoma that could be exploited to overturn these tumors’ resistance to therapy. Millions of Americans, […]

Assorted News from the Last Week: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) has launched its Dare to Dream Project as an extension of itself Children’s Initiative.  It will expand education and support services for patients and families, drives advocacy and policy efforts, and increases investments in childhood blood cancer research. Neuroblastoma cells have an extreme need for amino acids. Scientists at the Hopp Children’s Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University of Heidelberg, and HI-STEM gGmbH have now discovered the molecular mechanisms underlying this and how the cancer cells could be turned off. From the Washington […]

Assorted News from the Last Two Weeks: The CCDI Molecular Targets Platform is the National Cancer Institute’s instance of the Open Targets Platform, specific to childhood cancers which will allow researchers to find data from multiple sources on molecular targets—molecules involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells. Identifying these targets, how they affect cancers, and how they interact with drugs can help improve how childhood cancers are treated. To explore the Molecular Targets Platform, visit: moleculartargets.ccdi.cancer.gov. From the Washington Post:  Pushed by parent activists and buoyed by new funding, scientists explore novel strategies to treat deadly pediatric cancers. […]

Assorted News from Last Week: The Biden administration has selected Monica Bertagnolli, a renowned surgical oncologist, as the next director of the National Cancer Institute. (gated) The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario issued its latest report on childhood cancer efforts in Ontario. Bringing next-generation CAR T-cell therapies to children with solid cancers The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the combination of the targeted drugs dabrafenib (Tafinlar)and trametinib (Mekinist) for the treatment of people with nearly any type of advanced solid tumor that has a specific mutation in a gene called BRAF. Results were reported from a phase I safety […]

Assorted News from Last Week: Researchers have identified the child cancer patients at greatest risk of developing life-threatening infections, in a crucial step towards the development of an early diagnostic test. A report out this month (highlights) highlights some of the data capacity needs to handle patient-centered outcomes  and also describes how U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) could help to address these data capacity needs. Intratumoral infusion of an oncolytic virus offered safe and feasible results, along with encouraging efficacy, in pediatric patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine […]