Hope & Heroes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York City. Hope & Heroes supports the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology & Stem Cell Transplantation at Columbia University Medical Center. Hope & Heroes funds work on childhood cancer and blood disorders at Columbia University Medical Center—including research, support for families, and care.
Though it was officially incorporated in 2002, [1] the Hope & Heroes name dates back to 1997, when sportswriter Mike Lupica wrote [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] about the friendship between patient Beth Maria and Tino Martinez who was then a first baseman for the New York Yankees. The first article appeared on the front page of the New York Daily News on June 22, 1997, with the headline "Hope & Heroes". Michael Weiner, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Oncology at CUMC, adopted the name as part of his efforts to attract funding for programs that needed philanthropic support.
The charity raises approximately $3.5 million per year to support the Division's prestigious clinical care, research and supporting programs. The full-time staff currently consists of an executive director, a senior director of development, and an events and outreach manager. The funds are raised through a multitude of events, annual giving and multi-year gift agreements with major donors. Events include a golf tournament, a gala dinner, a walk and a luncheon, along with community and family run functions throughout the tri-state area.[ citation needed ]
The Herbert Irving Child & Adolescent Oncology Center has three pillars of care for children with cancer—Leukemia/Lymphoma, Solid tumors and Neurooncology (Brain Tumors). Each of these three endeavors consists of a basic science research component and a clinical component. The clinical component is further divided into two areas: clinical investigation and patient care. This overall structure of laboratory investigation linked with a clinical enterprise has been established in order to translate the laboratory findings into improved treatments for children with cancer.
The research component of the Leukemia/Lymphoma program consists of the laboratory of Dr. Adolfo Ferrando and his colleagues Drs. Maria Luisa Sulis and Teresa Palomero. In January 2005, the recruitment of Dr. Ferrando from Harvard University and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute was made possible, in part, by prior commitments of the Wipe Out Leukemia Forever Foundation and a grateful patient family. The Leukemia/Lymphoma program currently has a highly developed and successful laboratory component and currently performs clinical research through our membership in the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Consortium and the Children's Oncology Group.
Solid tumors are investigated in the Tay-bandz research laboratory under the direction of Dr. Darrell Yamashiro. Clinically, the novel initiatives discovered in Yamashiro's laboratory have allowed the establishment of the Pediatric Cancer Foundation Developmental Therapeutics program, under the direction of Dr. Julia Glade-Bender. An example of this bench-to-bedside initiative has been the laboratory's work in anti-angiogenesis and a national study using treatment with the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, Avastin. The Pediatric Cancer Foundation Research gift has allowed the hiring of a research nurse practitioner and an administrative coordinator to assist Dr. Bender.
With respect to Neuro-Oncology (Brain Tumors), the basic laboratory research is being conducted by Drs. Antonio Iavarrone, Anna Lasorella, and Saadi Ghatan. The clinical portion of the brain tumor enterprise, the Alfano Family Foundation Neuro-oncology program, is led by Dr. James Garvin. Working with Garvin is a full-time clinical research nurse and an administrative coordinator/assistant. Together as a team, they are conducting clinical research and providing patient care.
The Herbert Irving Child & Adolescent Oncology Center has four overarching clinic-wide programs that support its three pillars of care. They are Integrative Therapies, Psycho-Social/Child Life, Developmental Therapeutics and the Center for Survivor Wellness Each program combines a clinical care component with research.
The Integrative Therapies Program for Children with Cancer was the first program of its kind to mainstream complementary medicine into a conventional program of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. [7] The mission is to disseminate reputable information on complementary therapies; to lessen the side effects of conventional treatments; to perform clinical research; and to evaluate the safety and potential interactions of complementary therapies with conventional treatments for childhood cancer. Services provided at no cost to patients include acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, chef program[ clarification needed ], massage therapy, Reiki, nutritional and herbal counseling and yoga instruction. This program is 100% supported by philanthropic donations.
The Valerie Fund Psychosocial Program includes a child psychologist, child-life specialists, social workers, and clergy. This is the only program in New York City that receives support from the New Jersey-based Valerie Fund. The team provides counseling, therapeutic play, pet therapy, music therapy, pastoral care, and the "Big Apple Circus Clown" program. Individual and age-appropriate group therapy is available to patients, families, and siblings. Child life therapists use play, art projects and other activities to help children learn about and gain skills for coping with upcoming procedures and to work through any fears that may arise.
Developmental Therapeutics is a new initiative made possible by a gift by the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. [8] It includes basic research to define novel therapeutic targets, translational research to adapt observations from the laboratory to patients and clinical research to examine the behavior of novel therapeutics. Drs. Julia Glade Bender, Darrell Yamashiro and Alice Lee will collaborate to research new agents and bring them to clinical trial.
The Center for Survivor Wellness is a newly created program made possible by funding from the Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund, Inc. The program is a joint clinical collaboration between pediatric and medical oncology. Its goal is to diminish the long-term effects of cancer treatment, including second malignancies, and to introduce healthy lifestyle changes to patients who have survived cancer. The program is led by Jennifer Levine, MD and staffed by a collaborative roster of current Columbia University pediatric and medical oncology physicians as well as a nurse practitioner and a clinical coordinator.[ citation needed ]
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer research and treatment center located in Buffalo, New York. Founded by surgeon Roswell Park in 1898, the center was the first in the United States to specifically focus on cancer research. The center is usually called Roswell Park in short form. The center, which conducts clinical research on cancer as well as the development new drugs, provides advanced treatment for all forms of adult and pediatric cancer, and serves as a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is currently the only upstate New York facility to hold the National Cancer Institute designation of "comprehensive cancer center".
Targeted therapy or molecularly targeted therapy is one of the major modalities of medical treatment (pharmacotherapy) for cancer, others being hormonal therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. As a form of molecular medicine, targeted therapy blocks the growth of cancer cells by interfering with specific targeted molecules needed for carcinogenesis and tumor growth, rather than by simply interfering with all rapidly dividing cells. Because most agents for targeted therapy are biopharmaceuticals, the term biologic therapy is sometimes synonymous with targeted therapy when used in the context of cancer therapy. However, the modalities can be combined; antibody-drug conjugates combine biologic and cytotoxic mechanisms into one targeted therapy.
The Children's Oncology Group (COG), a clinical trials group supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to pediatric cancer research. The COG conducts a spectrum of clinical research and translational research trials for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer.
Dartmouth Cancer Center (DCC) is a comprehensive cancer center as designated by the National Cancer Institute, with administrative offices located within the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire.
The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) is a unique pan-European non-profit clinical cancer research organisation established in 1962 operating as an international association under Belgium law. It develops, conducts, coordinates and stimulates high-quality translational and clinical trial research to improve the survival and quality of life of cancer patients. This is achieved through the development of new drugs and other innovative approaches, and the testing of more effective therapeutic strategies, using currently approved drugs, surgery and/or radiotherapy in clinical trials conducted under the auspices of a vast network of clinical cancer researchers supported by 220 staff members based in Brussels. The EORTC has the expertise to conduct large and complex trials especially specific populations such as the older patient and rare tumours.
Uppsala University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, is a teaching hospital for the Uppsala University Faculty of Medicine and the Nursing School. Uppsala University Hospital is owned and operated by the Uppsala County Council in cooperation with the university and serves, together with Enköping hospital in Enköping, as the primary hospitals for Uppsala County. It also fills the function of a tertiary referral hospital for the Uppsala/Örebro health care region and, for certain specialities, a tertiary referral hospital for the entire country of Sweden.
Cancer and Leukemia Group B is a cancer research cooperative group in the United States.
An atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) is a rare tumor usually diagnosed in childhood. Although usually a brain tumor, AT/RT can occur anywhere in the central nervous system (CNS), including the spinal cord. About 60% will be in the posterior cranial fossa. One review estimated 52% in the posterior fossa, 39% are supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (sPNET), 5% are in the pineal, 2% are spinal, and 2% are multifocal.
Jessica Kandel is the Surgeon-in-Chief, University of Chicago Medical Center Comer Children's Hospital, Mary Campau Ryerson Professor of Surgery and Chief, Section of Pediatric Surgery, and the Vice-Chair for Pediatric Surgical Services, appointed August 1, 2013.
Steven Kenneth Libutti, M.D., F.A.C.S. is an American surgeon and scientist. In January 2017, he became the third permanent Director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Vice Chancellor for Cancer Programs for Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and the Senior Vice President for Oncology Services for RWJBarnabas Health, the largest health system in New Jersey. He is a tenured Professor of Surgery at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Libutti's work on the study of tumor angiogenesis and the tumor microenvironment has led to novel approaches for the treatment of cancer. He is also one of the pioneers of regional and targeted cancer therapy.
Donald Paul Pinkel was an American physician who specialized in pediatric hematology and oncology. Pinkel made contributions to cures for several forms of childhood cancer, including leukemia.
Inspyr Therapeutics, Inc. is a development-stage pharmaceutical company based in San Antonio, Texas. The company is focused on therapeutics that deliver a cancer-destroying drug directly to the tumor or its supporting environment, the tumor vasculature.
Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute (GCRI) is a state owned-cancer research institute in Gujarat, India. It was established in 1972. It is one of the 25 government funded Regional Cancer Centres in India.
The Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN) Foundation is a nonprofit organization composed of scientists and adult and pediatric cancer researchers who work together to develop new treatments for Ependymoma, a type of primary brain or spinal cord tumor that occurs in both children and adults, and improve the outcomes and care of patients. The organization is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Childhood cancer is cancer in a child. About 80% of childhood cancer cases can be successfully treated thanks to modern medical treatments and optimal patient care. However, only about 10% of children diagnosed with cancer reside in high-income countries where the necessary treatments and care is available. Childhood cancer represents only about 1% of all types of cancers diagnosed in children and adults. For this reason, childhood cancer is often ignored in control planning, contributing to the burden of missed opportunities for its diagnoses and management in countries that are low- and mid-income.
King Fahad Specialist Hospital-Dammam (KFSHD) is a hospital in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia.
Patient derived xenografts (PDX) are models of cancer where the tissue or cells from a patient's tumor are implanted into an immunodeficient or humanized mouse. It is a form of xenotransplantation. PDX models are used to create an environment that allows for the continued growth of cancer after its removal from a patient. In this way, tumor growth can be monitored in the laboratory, including in response to potential therapeutic options. Cohorts of PDX models can be used to determine the therapeutic efficiency of a therapy against particular types of cancer, or a PDX model from a specific patient can be tested against a range of therapies in a 'personalized oncology' approach.
Kite Pharma is an American biotechnology company that develops cancer immunotherapy products, with a primary focus on genetically engineered autologous CAR T cell therapy, a cell-based therapy which relies on chimeric antigen receptors and T cells. Founded in 2009 and based in Santa Monica, California, it was acquired by Gilead Sciences in 2017.
Stephan A. Grupp is an American pediatric oncologist. He is the Chief of the Cell Therapy and Transplant Section in the Division of Oncology and Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2019, Grupp was elected a Member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Brigitte C. Widemann is German-American pediatric oncologist. She is chief of the pediatric oncology branch and clinical deputy director of the center for cancer research at the National Cancer Institute. She is also the special advisor to the NCI director for childhood cancer.
