The Childhood Cancer Blog

The Childhood Cancer Blog

Welcome to The Childhood Cancer Blog
from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation!

  • Dr. Roberts
    Dr. Roberts (pictured above) is part of a dream team of childhood cancer researchers from all specialties and all over the world funded by an Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) Crazy 8 Initiative Grant. The Crazy 8 Initiative with support from partner Northwestern Mutual has provided $26 million in grant funding to six projects led by researchers at 21 institutions all over the world.
  • The crazy 8 summit members
    In November, the Crazy 8 teams gathered for a meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Teams are made up of specialists from all realms working together within their own projects and also collaborating with each other across institutions and oceans.

Dr. Ryan Roberts, an oncologist and researcher from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, sees the havoc childhood cancer reigns on children and their families every day. 

“It causes long, painful, and sometimes futile battles for kids. Some of my patients spend the entirety of middle school and high school on chemotherapy, ultimately unsuccessfully,” said Dr. Roberts. 

Dr. Roberts specializes in the treatment of osteosarcoma, the most common, but still rare, pediatric bone cancer that happens primarily in adolescents. While surgical techniques have improved over the past several... Read More

To kick off 2023, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) has funded six new childhood cancer projects for both early career and established researchers.  

ALSF is committed to changing the future of childhood cancer research by funding scientists and projects that will bring better treatments and cures to children with cancer. Attracting and retaining the best and brightest early career scientists is critical, as the funding at this stage will encourage and steer promising researchers toward long-term careers in pediatric oncology investigation. 

That’s why ALSF designed... Read More

What if a specific type of diet could magnify the impact of a targeted childhood cancer treatment? That’s the question Dr. Palaniraja Thandapani had after his initial findings that T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) relied upon a specific amino acid, called valine, to grow. 

“That is an essential amino acid, and usually you acquire them from your food, it's not like your body can make them,” said Dr. Thandapani. “So that led to the idea that it can be targeted with the amount of availability of this amino acid in diet.”

This research was the genesis of Dr. Thandapani... Read More

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