Vermont Business Magazine Childhood cancer researchers often depend largely on private funding to get projects off the ground and to move novel treatment approaches to the next phase of testing, ultimately bringing better therapies and cures to the forefront for kids with cancer. In its newest round of grants, theSt. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest private funder ofchildhood cancer researchgrants, is proud to award 76 grants totaling more than$19.1 millionto support physician-scientists studying innovative treatment options in the pediatric cancer space.Among those is a grant toThomas Ahern PhD at the University of Vermont and theVermont Children's Hospital (UVM Medical Center.)
Ahearn and his team will study phthalates.Phthalates are chemicals added to many products that we use every day, including some common medications. Phthalates interfere with hormone systems in our bodies, which might cause cancer. Dr Ahern wants to know if phthalate exposure while in the womb or during childhood increases the risk of childhood cancer. It would usually be time-consuming and expensive to answer this question scientifically.
However, Dr Ahern's team has developed a way to measure phthalate exposure using electronic pharmacy records that is both fast and inexpensive. This technique works because phthalate exposure from medications dwarfs exposure from other products. He will use this technique on existing pharmacy and cancer data from the entire population of Denmark. Ahern will measure phthalate exposure in pregnant women and in their children, and calculate whether that exposure increases a child's chances of developing cancer. If he finds that it does, we could prevent childhood cancer cases by limiting the amount of phthalates used in consumer products.
Every 2 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer worldwide. The grants from the St. Baldrick's Foundation deliver on its commitment to support the most promising childhood cancer research, no matter where it takes place.
"At St. Baldrick's, we focus on funding research that has the best potential of giving kids the healthy childhoods they deserve," saidKathleen Ruddy, CEO of the St. Baldrick's Foundation. "I'm proud to say that we have now funded more than a quarter billion dollars since 2005 to support lifesaving childhood cancer research. This achievement would not have been possible without the collective efforts of our amazing volunteers, donors and supporters across the globe. Together, we are leading the charge to take childhood back from cancer."
The following institutions were awarded newgrants:
- Baylor College of Medicine,Houston, Texas
- Boston University School of Medicine,Boston, Mass.
- Brigham and Women's Hospital,Boston, Mass.
- Case Western Reserve UniversitySchool of Medicine,Cleveland, Ohio
- Children's Hospital Boston,Boston, Mass.
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles,Los Angeles, Calif.
- Children's Hospital ofPhiladelphia,Philadelphia, Pa.
- Children's Hospitals and Clinics ofMinnesota,Minneapolis, Minn.
- Children's Research Institute (CNMC),Washington, D.C.
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center,Cincinnati, Ohio
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,Boston, Mass.
- Duke UniversitySchool of Medicine,Durham, N.C.
- Emory University, affiliated with Children's Healthcare ofAtlanta,Atlanta, Ga.
- Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive CancerCenter, Washington, D.C.
- Harvard T. H. ChanSchool of Public Health at Harvard University,Boston, Mass.
- Indiana University School of Medicine,Indianapolis, Ind.
- Keck School of Medicine,University of Southern California,Los Angeles, Calif.
- M.D. Anderson Cancer Center,Houston, Texas
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,New York, N.Y.
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
- New York UniversitySchool of Medicine,New York, N.Y.
- Northwestern University,Chicago, Ill.
- Oregon Health & Science University,Portland, Ore.
- Penn State College of Medicine,Hershey, Pa.
- Renmin Hospital ofWuhanUniversity,Wuhan, China
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital,Memphis, Tenn.
- Stanford University,Stanford, Calif.
- The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research,Manhasset, N.Y.
- The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital,Columbus, Ohio
- UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital,Los Angeles, Calif.
- University of California, Berkeley,Berkeley, Calif.
- University of California, San Francisco,San Francisco, Calif.
- University of California, Santa Cruz,Santa Cruz, Calif.
- University of ChicagoMedicine,Chicago, Ill.
- University of ColoradoAnschutz Medical Campus,Aurora, Colo.
- University of Iowa,Iowa City, Iowa
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,Chapel Hill, N.C.
- University of Pennsylvania,Philadelphia, Pa.
- University of Rochester,Rochester, N.Y.
- University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
- University of TennesseeHealth Science Center,Memphis, Tenn.
- University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio,Texas
- University of Utah,Salt Lake City, Utah
- University of Vermontand State Agricultural College,Burlington, Vt.
- University of VirginiaSchool of Medicine,Charlottesville, Va.
- University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison,Madison, Wis.
- Vanderbilt University,Nashville, Tenn.
To see the research St. Baldrick's is funding near you, visit theGrants Searchpage, or to learn more about each grant category visit theGrant Typespage on the Foundation's website. The next St. Baldrick's grant cycle will be announced in the fall. For additional information on each grant or to interview a researcher please email[email protected].
About St. Baldrick's Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick's Foundation is leading the charge to take childhood back from cancer. St. Baldrick's funds some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts who are working to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us atStBaldricks.orgto help support the best childhood cancer research, no matter where it takes place.
SOURCE: LOS ANGELES,July 19, 2018/PRNewswire/ --St. Baldrick's Foundationwww.stbaldricks.org