The St. Baldrick’s Foundation Fellowship Award fuels the next generation of brilliant minds in pediatric cancer research. With a $1.4 million investment, we’re empowering young investigators to push the boundaries of innovation and discovery.
Keep scrolling to see the incredible research your support is making possible!
The 2025 class includes six new Fellows:
Matthew Decker, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Decker is testing a new drug that targets N-Ras, a faulty protein known to drive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) growth. If successful, this drug could lead to safer, more effective treatments.
Margarita Dionysiou, M.D., at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a treatment used to cure children with aggressive leukemia. This treatment uses immune cells from a donor, but it can cause a serious problem called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), where the donor cells attack the patient’s healthy tissues. Dr. Dionysiou is studying a small molecule naturally found in the body called miR-21 that controls the immune response. By understanding miR-21 better she hopes to find ways to prevent GVHD and make all-HCT more effective.
Benjamin Lerman, M.D., at the University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Lerman is studying how the appearance of diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs), a childhood brain tumor, on MRI scans relates to its DNA. By understanding this connection, doctors may one day predict how a tumor will grow without needing a biopsy. This could help doctors develop better treatments tailored to different tumor types.
Clara Libbrecht, M.D, Ph.D., at Seattle Children’s Hospital
Mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) is a rare and difficult-to-treat subtype of leukemia. Dr. Libbrecht is studying a drug that blocks proteins that help other types of leukemia cells survive. If successful, this research could lead to a new treatment for MPAL.
Geoffrey Smith, M.D, Ph.D., at Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer care. Unfortunately, these treatments have not worked as well for osteosarcomas. Dr. Smith is studying a model that mimics bone cancer to understand why. His research could help develop new immune-based treatments for this tough-to-treat disease.
Brittany Van Remortel, M.D., M.P.H., at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
Teens with leukemia often feel weak and spend a lot of time sitting, which can lead to other health issues. Dr. Van Remortel created a program called ReSeT, which uses Fitbits, coaching, and an app to encourage small movement breaks. Dr. Van Remortel will test ReSet in a group of teenagers and compare the impact against a group of teenagers who didn’t use the program, to see if it helps teens stay active during treatment and improve their long-term health.
The following Fellows are receiving an additional year of funding, based on progress:
Amanda Campbell, M.D., Ph.D., at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
The goal of this project is to create immune cells to target pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the immune response to cancer by recognizing and killing tumor cells. Dr. Campbell and colleagues propose to tip the balance in favor of immune cells by knocking out a key NK cell inhibitor.
Christopher Kuo, M.D., at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Ewing sarcoma is a bone and soft tissue cancer that occurs mainly in children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Kuo’s project will focus on understanding how Ewing sarcoma tumors develop, to identify new treatment options for kids with Ewing sarcoma.
Robert Lindquist, M.D., Ph.D, at the University of California, San Francisco
Children with a brain tumor called ependymoma have high relapse rates and poor long-term survival. Treatment options for ependymoma are limited, and there is no known effective chemotherapy. Dr. Lindquist is working to make a new model of this tumor, to study how the tumor forms and grows, and to test new therapies to identify new therapies to extend the lives of children with ependymoma.
Thank you for your incredible support. The next set of grants will be announced in July, supported by donations made now. Visit the St. Baldrick’s Foundation grants page to learn more about all the research you’re making possible.
Donate now and help support research into better treatments for kids with cancer.
