Curing Kids' Cancer Announces 2006 Pediatric Cancer Research Grants

The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins has been named the primary recipient of the 2006 grants from Curing Kids' Cancer, the charity that raises money for leading edge pediatric cancer research through kids' sports teams and school children.

A $100,000 grant was given to Johns Hopkins for research into new targeted therapies for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. The project, led by Dr. Curt Civin, is part of the combined efforts at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute.

"We are thrilled to help fund this promising research at Johns Hopkins," said Grainne Owen, co-founder of Curing Kids' Cancer. "We are determined to help the doctors find cures for childhood cancers -- turning it from a killer disease into just another curable childhood illness -- in our lifetime."

"We're honored to receive this grant from Curing Kids' Cancer," said Dr. Civin. "We're especially honored because the money was raised by children who want to help other children diagnosed with cancer."

The Aflac Cancer Center & Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta was awarded a $20,000 grant to fund pediatric clinical trials and research to get new drugs "from the bench to the bedside."

Curing Kids' Cancer also awarded a $10,000 grant to Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Cancer Center to support Dr. Jason's Shohet's research towards developing novel treatments for neuroblastoma at Texas Children's hospital. Neuroblastoma is a disease in which malignant cancer cells form in nerve tissue of the adrenal gland, neck, chest, or spinal cord. Neuroblastoma most often begins during early childhood, usually in children younger than 5 years old. The average five-year survival rate for children with neuroblastoma is 30 percent.

Smaller grants were also awarded to Palmetto Heath Children's Hospital, Columbia, SC, and Los Angeles Children's Hospital to fund clinical trials of new drugs, conduct research and develop innovative treatment options for pediatric cancer patients.

Curing Kids' Cancer has two national grassroots programs -- Coaches Curing Kids' Cancer and Teachers Curing Kids' Cancer. Both programs urge parents and children to donate money to pediatric cancer research in the name of their coach or teacher rather than buying gifts. Details of the programs are available at http://www.curingkidscancer.org.

The grant to Johns Hopkins was made by Curing Kids' Cancer based on the advice and recommendations of the charity's Medical Advisory Board, consisting of 14 top pediatric oncologists and researchers from the United States and Canada. Members of the board who applied for a grant did not review the grant applications or vote for the awards.

About Curing Kids' Cancer

Inspired by nine-year-old Killian Owen's battle with leukemia, Curing Kids' Cancer Inc. is a unique, national grassroots movement which aims to raise both awareness and money to find cures for all types of childhood cancer. Our programs fund the development of cutting edge therapies which will revolutionize childhood cancer treatment by replacing traditional chemotherapy. Our objective is to turn this killer disease into a curable one in our lifetime. Details are available at http://www.curingkidscancer.org.

Curing Kids' Cancer
http://www.curingkidscancer.org