We remain deeply grateful for Cal's Angels' leadership gift to the Division of Hematology, Oncology, Neuro-Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Your support will accelerate our efforts in pediatric drug discovery, making it possible to bring new therapies from the laboratory to human clinical trials in a more efficient and cost-effective way. As the focus of pediatric cancer research shifts to precision medicine and the development of targeted therapies based on the molecular signatures of specific types of cancer, rather than the site of origin, the work made possible through your support promises to pave the way for less toxic and more individualized therapies that will improve outcomes for our patients and all children with cancer.
Specifically, we plan to utilize a portion of your $525,000 investment to hire a new research technician to support pre-clinical laboratory studies of new drug compounds. It will also cover costs associated with acquiring various therapies for testing, including molecularly targeted therapies that form the foundation of Lurie Children's new Precision Medicine Initiative.
Launched earlier this year, Lurie Children's Precision Medicine Initiative is revealing insights into the biological, environmental and lifestyle factors affecting each child's disease and using them to create individually tailored treatment plans. Working in close alignment with investigators at the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute, our oncology team will use genetic sequencing and other advanced technologies to analyze biological data and identify biomarkers of disease and potential drug targets. Patients will receive personalized recommendations for treatment according to the assessment of their tumor. Information from each child will be fed back into the lab to fuel discovery of increasingly more precise diagnostics and therapies. Our research teams will use laboratory models to study new drug combinations and solve the significant problem of drug resistance that limit the effectiveness of cancer therapies. As we gather data from increasingly larger numbers of patients who undergo advanced sequencing, this will inform new research questions that will form the basis for future studies to develop more targeted and effective treatments. The impact of our Precision Medicine Initiative will be felt across the spectrum of cancer care – from early diagnosis and treatment to strategies to improve long-term outcomes.
Fueling New Collaborations
Significant resources are needed to advance drug discovery in pediatric oncology. Your gift provides crucial funding to recruit a research technician who will partner with investigators across the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute as well as Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The ideal candidate will have a chemistry background and experience partnering with the pharmaceutical industry to acquire compounds for single and/or combination testing in established mouse models. Examples of two studies that will benefit from the research technician's support include:
The addition of a new research technician will speed efforts to develop clinical trials and increasingly more effective therapies.
Thank you!
Improved diagnoses, earlier interventions and superior outcomes. These are the promises to our patients and families that drive all that we do at Lurie Children's. Today, we are closer than ever to achieving our vision. Cal's Angel's investment will be a powerful catalyst to accelerate research discovery and transform the lives of children.
Cal’s Angels partners with Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine to create new treatments for children’s cancers and save more children’s lives.
READ MOREI would like to express my appreciation for the support and thoughtfulness Cal’s All-Star Angel Foundation has demonstrated in order to provide brighter futures for children and their families. Your investment is enabling us to obtain the necessary personnel and resources to pursue breakthrough research that will produce increasingly more individualized and effective treatments for our patients.
READ MOREThank you for your support to accelerate discovery of new oncology therapies for young people treated at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
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