Milestones
$1,250,000 Awarded to Fund Research 2023
At our annual our annual Science with a View Research Grant Reception we were excited to announce that our researchers have now crossed the $100 million threshold in follow-on funding, receiving over $114 Million in subsequent funding as a direct result of their promising findings from CancerFree KIDS-funded research. This translates to a more than 1,200% return on the $9.45 million we have invested in pediatric cancer research to date!
Thank you to all of our supporters and researchers who beleive in our mission and help make these milestones possible. We look forward to even more success in the future with you by our side!
$1,250,000 Awarded to Fund Research 2023
In 2023, CancerFree KIDS invested $1.25 million in grants to cutting-edge research projects for the first time. These 21 research grants awarded at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Columbus, OH) represent the most promising new ideas in childhood cancer research today.
CancerFree KIDS invests in research in its earliest stages – the kind of high-risk/high-reward research that is needed to make the big strides to move the field forward and give our kids a chance to grow up. This is the kind of research that is nearly impossible to find funding for – so ideas often go untried.
Another $15,000,000 in Private Investments
One of three start-up companies founded as a result of CancerFree KIDS-funded research - Kurome Therapeutics - had a huge year – closing a $15 million round of funding from private investors. The target for Kurome technology was developed by CancerFree KIDS grant recipient, Daniel Starczynowski, PhD, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital around 2013 and has the potential to promise radical advancements in the fight against AML and other forms of cancer.
2 New Drugs Approved
(From left to right: Michael Absalon, Lee Grimes, Brian Weiss, Nancy Ratner)
Two new drugs were approved by the FDA for use in children with cancer. To put into perspective how significant this is, one needs to understand the drug development landscape for pediatric cancer drugs.
Hundreds of drugs have been approved for adult cancers but only 34 drugs have EVER been approved for use in children with cancer. Most of the drugs currently in use are the same ones we were using in the 50’s and 60’s.
Vyxeos was approved for pediatric AML relapse, based on the work of CancerFree KIDS grant recipients Lee Grimes and Michael Absalon and is now being tested in newly diagnosed patients with AML in a national study. Vyxeos had previously been approved only for adult patients.
Selumetinib was approved by the FDA for life-threatening tumors associated with neurofibromatosis – the result of the work of CancerFree KIDS grant recipients Nancy Ratner and Brian Weiss. Selumetinib is one of 6 drugs EVER to be approved for first use in children with cancer (developed specifically for children).
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Accelerator Award
CancerFree KIDS introduces the new Accelerator Award category, open to past recipients of a CancerFree KIDS New Idea Award whose research shows incredible promise. These grants aim to advance their research more quickly toward improving treatments for children with cancer. The intent is to fill the funding gap between an initial study that shows great potential, and the chance to publish and apply for additional funding from the National Cancer Institute or other funding sources. In this inaugural year, CancerFree KIDS is awarding three Accelerator Awards.