St. Baldrick’s Foundation Awards Two Grants to UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Researchers

October 3, 2011

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Traci Shirk
626-792-8247 ext. 50
traci@stbaldricks.org

St. Baldrick’s Foundation Awards Two Grants to UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center Researchers

DALLAS (October 3, 2011) – It takes life-saving research to Conquer Kids’ Cancer! The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, has awarded two grants to University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center researchers who practice at Children’s Medical Center. Rachel Chesley M.D., received a $132,991 St. Baldrick’s Fellow award, and Stephen Skapek, M.D., director, Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, director, UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Division, will lead a study funded by a $246,571 Consortium Research Grant.

Worldwide, more than 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, and it remains the leading cause of death by disease among children in the United States. With only 3 percent of all federal cancer research funding dedicated to pediatric cancer research, St. Baldrick’s Foundation grant funds are critical to continue the battle against this devastating disease.

Dr. Chesley is one of 13 new St. Baldrick’s Fellows in 2011. Her research focuses on pediatric palliative care, a comprehensive system of care aimed at preventing or relieving symptoms and suffering caused by a life-threatening illness. The goal of this study is to identify factors that are associated with hospice use in pediatric oncology, about which little is known.

“Although many children with cancer survive their disease, palliative care and hospice are an important part of caring for the patients who die,” said Dr.  Chesley, Fellow, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern. “We hope to gain an understanding of the factors that affect why certain families choose hospice care for their children and why other families do not. With this understanding, we can develop new ways of communicating with and educating parents and families regarding hospice care, to improve the way we care for pediatric cancer patients at the end of life.”

The Consortium Research Grant will support the consortium for Molecular Targeting in Non-Rhabdomyosarcoma Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (NRSTS) is the most common class of soft tissue sarcoma, afflicting children and young adults. Unlike children with rhabdomyosarcoma, chemotherapy has failed to improve survival for NRSTS. This consortium is taking advantage of new technology platforms to identify the so-called “actionable mutations” in NRSTS specimens, which will help guide treatment decisions for individual patients with NRSTS.

“We hope that identifying the actionable mutations in the NRSTS specimen from an individual patient will allow us to choose the medicines that are more likely to work, a process that many are calling ‘personalized medicine,’” said Dr. Skapek. “Support from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation will allow us to accomplish this in a clinical trial enrolling patients from across the country.”

These grants are part of more than $19.6 million in new grants by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, bringing the total to more than $21 million awarded for the fiscal year. All funding applications were peer-reviewed by leading pediatric cancer researchers who volunteer their time and expertise and make funding recommendations to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s board of directors. The Foundation’s next round of grants will be announced in October.

In 2011, more than 20 St. Baldrick’s events were held in Texas, where more than 680 volunteers shaved their heads to help Conquer Kids’ Cancer!

“We first became involved with St. Baldrick’s in 2004 and were immediately touched by the clear emotional impact that shavees can have on cancer patients and survivors by the simple act of sacrificing their locks,” said Charlie and  Wendi Ryland, volunteer event organizers of the Milo Butterfingers Dallas St. Baldrick’s event. “We understood back then and still do today that the only way to find a cure is by raising awareness and financial support for research to great centers of excellence like the UT Southwestern Medical Center. This is why we wanted to start an event here in Dallas after we moved back to the area.”

St. Baldrick’s signature head-shaving events are the fastest growing, volunteer-driven fundraising opportunity benefitting childhood cancer research. In 2011, the Foundation’s volunteers and supporters have led the way to raising a record-breaking $27 million by organizing more than 1,000 St. Baldrick’s events and shaving more than 44,000 heads to stand in solidarity with kids with cancer.

Everyone can do their part to support St. Baldrick’s! To locate or organize an event in your community, sign-up to shave, donate or volunteer, visit www.StBaldricks.org. You can also become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, join our letsCONQUER movement and visit the Foundation’s YouTube and Vimeo channels.

About the St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, a child’s best hope for a cure. Since the Foundation’s first grants as an independent charity in 2005, St. Baldrick’s has funded more than $76 million in childhood cancer research. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.

About Children’s Medical Center
Children's is a private, not-for-profit system. It’s the seventh-largest pediatric healthcare provider in the country, with 559 licensed beds, two full-service campuses and 10 outpatient sites. It was the state’s first pediatric hospital to achieve Level 1 Trauma status and is the only pediatric teaching facility in North Texas, affiliated with UT Southwestern Medical Center. For more information about Children’s, please visit www.childrens.com.

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