Childhood cancer research is made possible through the work of ALSF supporters and donors who have turned cups of lemonade into nearly 1,000 research grants.
Dr. Jeffrey Huo, an ALSF grantee, explains how research happens beginning with cups of lemonade and moving through the research process.
ALSF founder Alex Scott had a simple idea that turned into a huge legacy. During the 2019 Lemonade Days, supporters hosted over 2,500 lemonade stands in 49 states
“The purpose of research is the generation of new knowledge. If research is kept private and placed in a drawer then it is useless,” said Dr. Adolfo Ferrando of Columbia University, who published his research about a mutation that drives the relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in the January 2018 edition of Nature. “By publishing, we give the clinical community the opportunity to use the published knowledge.”
By: Trish Adkins
“Once upon a time, there was a very brave and generous girl named Alex and she decided she wanted to help kids with cancer. And thousands of you helped her do it,” begins Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) grantee Dr. Jeffrey Huo in his talk about how cups of lemonade are leading to cures for childhood cancer.
Watch Dr. Huo explain how cups can lead to cures:
All year long, childhood cancer advocates and ALSF supporters work to raise funds for childhood cancer research.
Whether it is hosting a lemonade stand during annual Lemonade Days each June, going the distance during The Million Mile in September, or attending one of the many events in between, supporters are following in ALSF founder Alexandra “Alex” Scott’s footsteps and turning cups of lemonade into cures for all children with cancer!
Dr. Huo explains cups to cures for childhood cancer like this:
First, experiments become a data point. Which means, investigators in the lab perform experiments to support their hypothesis. ALSF supports early career research through its Young Investigator Grants program and continues to advance the pace of discoveries through its Accelerator Programs. All these experiments produce data points which...
Become a figure. This figure of data points helps researchers spot trends and prove their hypothesis. Researchers also have the opportunity to access all publicly shared data through the Childhood Cancer Data Lab, the world’s largest and most accessible repository of childhood cancer data available for free to qualified researchers. Eventually...
Figures become a journal article. ALSF has been credited in hundreds of published articles since funding that first research grant in 2005. For childhood cancer researchers, publishing in a scientific journal is not just about the prestige and accomplishment. Publishing is one of the key ways scientists can collaborate and...
Journal articles lead to scientific breakthrough. These breakthroughs, like the discovery of a drug that suppresses the ALK gene in children with certain types of neuroblastoma and lymphoma by Dr. Yael Mossé at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, or the immunotherapy clinical trial for children with relapsed brain tumors led by Dr. Ted Johnson at Augusta University, give children hope for cures. And then...
Scientific breakthroughs become cures for all children. The research of Dr. Stephen Dubois at Dana Farber Institute Children resulted in accelerated approval by the FDA of a drug called Vitrakvi. The drug is available to children with cancers that are NTRK fusion-positive — giving them a potential cure, where there wasn’t one before.
You can help turn cups into cures by hosting a lemonade stand, joining the One Cup at a Time Club or signing up for The Million Mile this September. Get involved with the fight against childhood cancer here.
