The Keller Laboratory at cc-TDI: 07/01/2011

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Jared's Juggernaut to Cure Sarcoma

We are sincerely grateful to Robyn Grossman and the community supporting Jared's Juggernaut to Cure Sarcoma for their recent, generous gift to support research of rhabdomyosarcoma. Jared was no stranger to challenges, making his way through adolescent and young adult life despite learning disabilities by graduating high school a year early and achieving a 3.4 college GPA (despite a 5 year battle with rhabdomyosarcoma). Jared was the best in us, and the inspiration to do more than we think is possible. Through the research support provided in his memory, we will work towards developing new rhabdomyosarcoma cell cultures enriched in tumor stem cells, and we will perform molecularly-targeted drug screen testing specifically of these metastasis-prone cells. This work will be done by our lab members Emma (left) and Jen (right), who will be "Jared's Team".

Monday, July 18, 2011

Wesley’s Cure for Cancer Research Foundation

We are grateful to Matthew Nelson and the Wesley’s Cure for Cancer Research Foundation (WCCRF) for their recent generous donation that fuels our medulloblastoma cancer research. Inspired by the experiences of a young neighbor going through treatments for this aggressive brain tumor of childhood, Matthew created this grass-roots effort to honor Wesley and create hope that more effective, less toxic treatments might one day be available. 'Welsey's Team' in the Keller laboratory will use these funds to help test new, molecularly-targeted drugs for high risk and recurrent medulloblastoma.

[ "Wesley's Team" left to right: Elaine (PPTI operational manager), Jinu (PPTI scientific manager), and Melanie (medical student and Summer research intern) ]

Children's Healing Art Project

We are thankful to the Children's Healing Art Project for providing us artwork from childhood cancer patients for our laboratory. The CHAP mobile teaching artists do wonderful things for children to help them express their feelings on their journey through cancer treatment, and at the same time we get this great art! Shown to the right is our microscope room, for which we needed to block light through a window... now we have an inspiring set of images as we go to do our our work.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Schmidt Laboratory Retreat

It was a pleasure to spend the past few days with liver biologist and fellow Capecchi lab alumnist, Ed Schmidt, and his lab, colleagues and family for a backcountry Montana retreat (hiking and camping trip, complete with pack donkeys). And yes, when scientists go camping we do talk a lot of science :) but the kids also get a special set of 'guides' to nature.

You Can Participate in our Novel Therapeutics Studies !

One would like to think that tangibly better treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma, medulloblastoma and other childhood cancers can be found in a matter of years, instead of tens of years. Finding new treatments starts with research, perhaps even a new research approach to identifying effective new treatments. The Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute focuses on finding molecules in childhood cancers that can be directly turned off or on by drugs so that the tumor stops growing. Behind our novel approach is the use of genetically-engineered mice. Our Pediatric Preclinical Testing Initiative uses mice modified from before birth so that at a certain age, and in a certain tissue, the same mutations found in a child’s cancer are activated in the mouse. These special mouse models of childhood cancer can be used to test a treatment to see whether the tumor growth and spread (metastasis) can be reversed. The specific aspect of these mice having normal immune systems is a real plus, too, because white blood cells play an important role in how tumors evolve and respond to therapy.

Our program is designed around community participation. Through the Children's Cancer Therapy Development Institute, you can contribute directly to this grass-roots initiative. Donations through small gifts or grants will assist in studying compounds that may be effective in treating such childhood cancers as alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, or medulloblastoma (the alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma model was featured by Dr. Keller's long time collaborator and former mentor, 2007 Nobel laureate Mario Capecchi, in his Nobel Prize lecture {see 16 minutes onward}.)

For additional information regarding supporting this program please contact Charles Keller at charles@cc-tdi.org. Results obtained through these studies will be shared with the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, as well as the Children’s Oncology Group, which designs clinical trials for childhood cancer.