CAC2 Webinar–Tissue Donation: The Critical but often Overlooked Piece of the Research Puzzle

Our February CAC2 All-Member webinar focused on the role that tumor tissue can play in childhood cancer research efforts.  Katie Gnatt from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and Ginny McLean from Swifty Foundation welcomed Dr. Patrick Reynolds, Director of The Childhood Cancer Repository, and Dr. Angela Waanders, Director of Precision Medicine Oncology and Executive Board Chair of the Children's Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium to present the webinar. Dr. Reynolds spoke about tissue donation/collection during treatment and Dr. Waanders spoke on post mortem tissue collection.  As we move towards a world with less toxic, more personalized forms of treatment, the availability of different types [...] Read more

CAC2 Member Blog–Jointly Sponsored Moonshot4Kids Congressional Briefing

CAC2 Members Jack’s Angels, Dragon Master Foundation, Max Cure Foundation, Children’s Cancer Cause, and National Brain Tumor Society joined together with others in the community through the DIPG Advocacy Group to hold the Moonshot4Kids Congressional Briefing on February 13 to raise awareness of H. Res. 114, which “Expressing support for the designation of the 17th day in May as “DIPG Awareness Day” to raise awareness and encourage research into cures for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and pediatric cancers in general.” You can read more about the Briefing and H. Res. 114 at CAC2 Blog Post #Moonshot4Kids. According to CAC2 […]

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Guest Blog–The 4 C’s of the Holiday Season: Chess, Competition, Comaradery, Charity

By Guest blogger C. Davis Buenger Can blitz improve your chess? Maybe yes, maybe no.  Can playing blitz could change the world?  Team Berlin thinks so! Last month, Team Berlin, an adult chess team in Ohio took up a challenge I suggested to play a three-week holiday competition:  whoever improved their chess.com blitz rating the most between December 12 and January 4 would win.  To make things more meaningful, each player picked a charity to play for, with the donation pool staked by the participants going to the winner’s choice of charity. Seven team members--Davis Buenger, Scott Harkema, Zach Kountz, [...] Read more

CAC2 Webinar–Accelerating Drug Development for Children and Adolescents with Cancer

We were pleased to invite CAC2 members, associate members, student members, supporting organizations to our December CAC2 All-member webinar where Susan Weiner (Children's Cancer Cause) hosted Dr. Gilles Vassal, chair of ACCELERATE, an international nonprofit. Dr. Vassal discussed ACCELERATE and its fresh approach to addressing the complex challenges of developing innovative pediatric cancer therapies in the new regulatory environment. View the webinar below. Read more

CAC2 Special Community Webinar–Vincristine Drug Shortage Update

Dr. Peter Adamson, Chair of the Children's Oncology Group (COG), shared information that COG has received along with a perspective on childhood cancer drug shortages, including the current situation with vincristine.  We were pleased to join with the Alliance for Childhood Cancer to invite members of the two coalitions and the wider community this Community webinar.  We offered this webinar so that the community could have a better understanding of the shortage, how to work with care providers, how to contact the FDA when problems arise from the shortage, and advocacy steps being taken. PUT_CHARACTERS_HERE Read more

CAC2 Webinar–Collaboration and Progress: How Target Pediatric AML Facilitated LLS PedAL, a Global Master Trial in Acute Leukemia

In our October All-Member Webinar, TpAML co-founder/advocate Julie Guillot and Dr. Gwen Nichols, Chief Medical Officer, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, highlighted the energy and work behind putting -- and keeping -- the patient at the center of drug development. Participants had the opportunity to learn valuable insights on the makings of Target Pediatric AML (that a number of CAC2 members worked together on) and how research findings have spurred the launch of a groundbreaking global master clinical trial initiative in high-risk childhood leukemia, LLS PedAL. Read more

CAC2 Webinar–FundingMatch.com: CAC2’s Searchable Website to Match Like-Minded Organizations

In celebration of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we hosted Melisse Skelton (CureSearch) and Oscar Ortiz (SebastianStrong) who used the occasion of our September CAC2 All-member webinar to explain the latest project that is developing in the CAC2 Project Incubator. PUT_CHARACTERS_HERE We learned about a new project proposed by CAC2 members to create a searchable website for organizations with like-minded missions to connect, collaborate, fund research and other projects with a goal of preventing duplication of effort and creating a more coordinated funding effort to support researchers. This database will be used to match key stakeholders (CAC2 foundations) and facilitate collaboration as well [...] Read more

CAC2 Member Blog–Childhood Cancer Data Initiative Symposium Overview

#ccdirocks trended on Twitter as participants at the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative Symposium shared the rocks they selected from among those painted by volunteers from the Dragon Master Foundation. “The rocks brought the children to the meeting, which was so important” –Warren Kibbe By CAC2 Member Caitlin Barrett, CureSearch for Childhood Cancer During the 2019 State of the Union Address, President Donald J. Trump raised the possibility of committing $500M over ten years to pediatric cancer research. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is developing a plan to use this potential budget infusion to assist in the collection, distribution, and use of [...] Read more

Survivorship Matters Blog–Gratitude and Challenge Co-Exist In Childhood Cancer Survivorship

Survivorship Matters Blog By CAC2 Member Mary Beth Collins   The day that a child completes treatment brings a special kind of glory. Some hospitals even have huge bells to ring to signify the occasion. Regardless of the symbolic gesture, a parent’s spirit hears trumpets sound, now beaming where darkness and fear were ominous for months or sometimes years. One’s life immediately transitions at such times, divorcing from the days of treatment highs and lows, fears of pending death, and the mosaic of so many emotions when parents yearn for children to be healthy enough to complete treatment. It is winning [...] Read more