The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will recognize the St. Baldrick’s Foundation–Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Pediatric Cancer Dream Team with the 2021 AACR Team Science Award.
John M. Maris, MD
Crystal L. Mackall, MD
In early 2013, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and SU2C collaborated to create a Pediatric Cancer Dream Team to help develop new immunotherapy approaches for high-risk childhood cancers. The team is led by pediatric oncologist John M. Maris, MD, the Giulio D’Angio Chair in Neuroblastoma Research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Crystal L. Mackall, MD, the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor, Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Co-Executive Director of the Stanford Laboratory for Cell and Gene Medicine, founding Director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Associate Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute, leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, and Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford. The collaboration has resulted in 319 peer-reviewed published manuscripts, 44 patent applications, generation of more than $118 million in additional grant funding, creation of a new pediatric clinical trials network, and treatment of more than 1,113 children through early-phase clinical trials.
A New Approach to Childhood Cancers
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation–SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team now consists of about 200 researchers across 10 leading children’s hospitals and childhood cancer–focused research programs. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation and SU2C launched the Pediatric Cancer Dream Team with a grant of $14.5 million over a 4-year term, beginning in 2013. The team has since worked to improve and expand immunotherapy in childhood cancers. In 2017, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation renewed its commitment with an additional $8 million in funding. Furthermore, the eight institutions that were part of the consortium at that time pledged to match the St. Baldrick’s Foundation grant to bring the total of additional funding to $16 million.
