The Keller Laboratory at cc-TDI

Friday, October 11, 2013

Rally Foundation 'Legacy Gift' Project

Matthew presented the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research's Legacy Gift project via a booth at the Children's Oncology Group meeting this week in Dallas, Texas. This project's goal is to developing tissue resources for tumor cell culture and patient-derived xenografts of rare childhood cancers. Autopsy-derived samples ("legacy gifts") are a major emphasis of this project... with a rationale that the most resistant tumor to develop better treatments.

Please see also the Rally Foundation parent interview at

https://vimeo.com/76616638. Have some tissues ready.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Patrick M. Callahan Memorial Fund

We are grateful to the Patrick M. Callahan Memorial Fund for their generous 2013 gift, which makes possible pilot studies of new research for the childhood muscle cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma. The community of supporters of the Patrick M. Callahan Memorial Fund, and Patrick's mother Joann, are valued partners in the mission to make rhabdomyosarcoma a uniformly survivable condition.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Molly's Story (Consano Crowdfunding Project)

See the Consano story by Cathy Marshall (KGW, NBC Portland Channel 8) at http://www.kgw.com/home/breast-cancer-mom-225379922.htm.

To donate and be a contributing partner in our rhabdomyosarcoma research project, click https://www.consano.org/projects/21-halting-tumor-cells-from-spreading-by-blocking-hostile-mergers.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Northwest Sarcoma Foundation 'DragonSlayer' Event

A picture of our team at the NWSF Event... thanks to Matthew for organizing our team!

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

New & Improved: Patient & Family Wall

We are grateful to the dozens of families who renewed consent forms for the Patient & Family Wall. This is a very important aspect of our labs' research culture... seeing first hand, every day, those for whom we work towards new treatments in order to "give back childhood".

Macy Michelle Easom Memorial Lectureship

The 2013 Macy Michelle Easom Memorial Lectureship was given yesterday by University of Pennsylvania researcher, Klaus Kaestner. This lectureship is sponsored by the Macy Easom Cancer Research Foundation, which is dedicated to research and new treatments for hepatoblastoma. Lisa, Macy's aunt, was in attendance and presented to OHSU a check for $75,000 for development of a humanized hepatoblastoma mouse model.

[pictured above: John Bial, Lisa Howard, Klaus Kaestner and Markus Grompe]

Friday, September 6, 2013

Huffington Post: a frank discussion

As September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, health reporter Suzanne Leigh at the Huffington Post has written an article "Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: 8 Brutal Truths to Choke On". A lot of these uncomfortable observations are key aspects of getting new, effective treatments to children with cancer. DIPG and rhabdomyosarcoma are both discussed.

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.