At the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, we believe the breakthroughs of tomorrow begin with the research investments made today. Early-stage funding gives scientists the opportunity to pursue bold ideas, gather critical evidence, and build the foundation for future discoveries that could change — and save — children’s lives.
One recent example shows exactly how that process can unfold.
A Promising Idea Backed by St. Baldrick’s
Dr. John Prensner
In 2022, St. Baldrick’s funded a Scholar Award for researcher Dr. John Prensner and his work studying high-risk medulloblastoma, an aggressive pediatric brain tumor with a survival rate that still leaves far too many families facing devastating outcomes.
At the time, Dr. Prensner was investigating an emerging area of cancer biology involving what scientists call “dark proteins” — tiny, previously overlooked proteins produced from parts of the genome that had long been dismissed or ignored.
His research helped show that these dark proteins may actually play a critical role in helping medulloblastoma cells survive. That insight opened the door to an entirely new way of thinking about how pediatric cancers develop and how they might someday be treated.
Building Toward Something Bigger
Today, Dr. Prensner, now at the University of Michigan, is part of a global research team selected to receive up to $25 million through the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative.
Cancer Grand Challenges is a global initiative founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute to support large-scale international collaborations tackling some of cancer research’s toughest questions.
The multi-institution research effort, known as ILLUMINE, will study the “dark proteome” across several cancers, including pediatric brain tumors, with the goal of improving how cancers are diagnosed and treated and identifying new therapeutic targets.
For Dr. Prensner, the connection between these milestones is clear.
“The St. Baldrick’s funding helped to launch this effort as a direct outcome of the project we’ve been doing,” he shared. “Thanks so much for funding my lab at the very outset, and supporting us as we grow this vision.”
Why Early Research Funding Matters
Major scientific advances rarely happen overnight. Before large international grants can be awarded, researchers often need early support to explore unconventional ideas, generate initial findings, and prove that a concept has real potential.
That’s where donor-funded grants can make an enormous difference.
By supporting early-stage childhood cancer research, St. Baldrick’s helps researchers pursue innovative ideas that may eventually attract larger investments, broader collaborations, and expanded clinical impact.
Not every research project will lead to a global initiative. But every breakthrough has a beginning.
And for kids with cancer, those beginnings matter.
Dr. Prensner’s story is a reminder that early support can help launch discoveries far beyond a single grant. Your support today helps create the foundation for what comes next in childhood cancer research.
