CAC2 Childhood Cancer Community News Digest (August 23-29)

Assorted news from the last week:

Research led by SickKids and the Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre found that a novel cancer predisposition screening tool shows promise for helping doctors better predict which childhood cancer survivors may be at risk of developing future cancers.

A Lancet study examined a global cohort of children and adolescents with cancer and COVID-19. Children and adolescents with cancer and SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to develop severe and critical cases of COVID-19 compared with the general pediatric population.

A new study has shown that the tumor-inhibiting gene TET2 is silenced in a large fraction of cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. The scientists show that the gene can be reactivated by treatment with an existing drug, 5-azacytidine.

Upcoming Webinars and Online Opportunities:

The FDA will present a two-day workshop entitled Advancing the Development of Pediatric Therapeutics (ADEPT 7) on September 1 and 2.  Its main objective is to discuss opportunities for leveraging complex and innovative trial designs, understand the challenges with their applications, and develop solutions on how challenges in the designs can be overcome.  The workshop will be open to the public.

The second season of Sanjay Gupta’s podcast “Chasing Life” will kick off on September 7 by delving into the topic of pediatric cancer.  You can access the podcast here: https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/chasing-life.

CureSearch is pleased to continue the 2021 CureSearch Virtual Summit Series with the fourth session: Biorepository Form and Function on September 14, from 11:00-2:00ET.  This session will provide insight into biorepositories, specifically how tissue is acquired, the types of samples and data that they house, and their accessibility.  An open Q&A session will accompany the robust panel discussion.

The FDA Oncology Center of Excellence presents Conversations on Cancer – The Future of Childhood Cancer Drug Development: Is the Sky the Limit? Join this informal panel discussion exploring personal perspectives from survivors, clinicians, caregivers, and pediatric patient advocates on the impact of childhood cancer from 1:00-2:30 ET on September 16..

The Ohio Department of Health has opened registration for the first annual Childhood Cancer Summit to be held ONLINE Sept 16-17. This FREE event is family-focused and includes a range of topics that are important to patients and caregivers at all stages of this experience, regardless of where you live.

ICON Pediatrics Team & CISCRP present, Advocating for Yourself or Your Child in a Clinical Trial, a 15-minute Flash webinar on September 22nd at 12PM EDT.  You can also access this month’s Flash webinar:  Treating Adolescent & Young Adult Populations, Cancer Treatment POptions, and the RACE (Research to Accelerate Cures & Equity) Act for Children.

A recording of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation webinar Engaging in Advocacy: How to Amplify the Power of Your Story, will be linked here as soon as it is available.  Presenters for this webinar include Sarah Milberg, Director of Government Relations and Advocacy at St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Susannah Koontz at Koontz Oncology Consulting, and Rene Marsh, CNN’s government regulation and transportation correspondent.

Both in-person and virtual CureFest registration is now open!  Make your plans for September 25-26.

• Tatum Fettig (Sweet Tea Connection)
• Ricardo Garcia (Richi Foundation and Oncoheroes Biosciences)