Children's Hospital Investigator Selected to Lead International Childhood Cancer Research 11/19/2009

A leading scientist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Peter C. Adamson, M.D., has been selected to lead the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) in their international efforts to find cures for children with cancer.

Dr. Adamson, an internationally recognized leader in pediatric cancer drug development, was elected to serve a 5-year term as the chairman of COG. He was selected by a nominating committee as one of two final candidates, and then elected by principal investigators of more than 200 COG sites. COG unites more than 5,000 experts in childhood cancer at leading children’s hospitals, universities, and cancer centers across North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe in the fight against childhood cancer.

Dr. Adamson’s previous roles at COG have included leading a 21-site phase 1 consortium that conducted initial evaluations of drugs being developed to treat cancer in children. During the eight years that Dr. Adamson led this effort, the collaborating sites conducted more than 25 studies designed to test the safety of novel anticancer drugs.

His experiences working with investigators from multiple disease areas and industry partners through his involvement with COG, his own research efforts, and his membership on key advisory committees for the National Cancer Institute, give Dr. Adamson a unique perspective on the nationwide challenges facing the cancer clinical trial system.

“Scientific discovery today is occurring at an unprecedented pace, but the clinical trial system that historically worked so well is showing a diminishing rate of return in our ability to cure children,” says Dr. Adamson. “This system was not designed to rapidly bring findings from the bench to the bedside, and a transformation of the system’s approach is needed to propel translational efforts on an international scale.”

COG is the preeminent collaborative research organization and was the first group to recognize the importance of collaboration in pediatric research, as even common childhood cancers are rare enough that no one center treats the number of children required for large-scale clinical trials. COG’s unparalleled collaborative efforts provide the information and support needed to answer important clinical questions in the fight against cancer. Today, more than 90 percent of the 12,500 children diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States are treated at COG institutions, with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia being one of the largest such centers in the world.

During his term as chair of COG, Dr. Adamson hopes to increase the collaborative efforts needed to create therapies for cancer that are more effective than existing treatment options. Emerging research shows that even the more common childhood cancers are actually a mix of different diseases, each potentially requiring a different specific therapy. Creating such disease-targeted therapies for children with cancer requires a better pathway for moving from the bench to the bedside, which Dr. Adamson will lead through expanding COG’s role at Children’s Hospital and fostering new and enhanced collaborations with COG sites throughout the world.

“Knowing what emerging discoveries are being developed within and between COG’s collaborating institutions can smooth the transition of advances to sites throughout the country and the world,” says Dr. Adamson. “I hope to fully leverage the discoveries being made at a rapid pace that currently take too long to get to the clinic by transforming how research moves from the bench to the bedside in a very large collaboration.”

Dr. Adamson will assume his position as chair-elect of COG beginning on January 1, 2010. To focus on the responsibilities of this role, over time he plans to step down as director of Clinical & Translational Research and transition his responsibilities as chief of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. He will remain a professor at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.

The work performed by COG is supported by the National Cancer Institute, along with a number of philanthropic organizations including CureSearch and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

so many times words fail me...

The Lemonade from Lemons School Program

Empowering children to overcome obstacles and make a difference in their communities...

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is proud to introduce our exciting new service-learning program, whose name was derived from the same principle that Alex herself followed: “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” Aptly named “Lemonade from Lemons," this program aims to teach Alex’s inspiring message of making a difference, helping others, and overcoming obstacles to school-aged children (K-5) through a children’s book and service-learning lesson plans. Available through our website for free to any school across the country, educators may request a book and download the curriculum online.

Our service-learning curriculum is comprised of 3 units each for Grades K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 and was developed with emphasis on enhancing the literacy skills of children while teaching them about the “Power of One.” It is also geared towards reinforcing key lessons from our children’s book, Alex & the Amazing Lemonade Stand. The lesson plans includes supplemental handouts as well as special instructions for English as a second language learners, struggling learners, and gift & talented students. For teachers new to service-learning, materials explaining this method of teaching will also be included.

Though ALSF is nationally known for raising money to fund research, that is not the intention for this new program. Lemonade from Lemons aims to fulfill the second part of our mission, which is to encourage and educate others, especially children, about philanthropy and the value of service to others. Read more...

This is a great video of the Brown's visit to DC to advocate for funding of the Carolyn Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act. On Monday night, Warren has graciously volunteered to tell us the ins and outs of the trip in The Story Room. The video below is a really good summary of some of the issues. And they have also compiled a list of the folks on the appropriations committees, here.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation

Through the first part of 2008, Ty Ulmer was just a normal 13-year-old kid who loved riding his bike around the neighborhood with his big brother Josh; that quickly changed when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma later that summer. After a few months of treatment, Ty made the brave decision to have his right leg amputated through the knee. He is currently in maintenance therapy but his journey is far from over. Ty is beginning to learn to walk again with a prosthetic leg and still dreams of getting back out on his bike.

Below is a story by Ty’s mom, Kim, recounting the journey the family has been through over the past year.

"One year ago"
By Kim Ulmer, Ty's mom

“A year ago” means more to us than we ever thought possible.

A year ago, our son Ty was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer). What a day that was, like a dream now but a year ago, it was the worst nightmare that a parent could have.

A year ago, he had surgery to have his port placed and started chemotherapy.

A year ago, we were in the hospital learning new words and medical terms for Ty’s treatment.

A year ago, we were now considered part of a family that no parent should ever have to be part of – we were now a “cancer family.”

A year ago, we were moving into a new house that was one-story so, when Ty came home from the hospital in January after having his leg amputated, he could have full access to the house.

A year ago this month, we were not only trying to get the house together a week before Thanksgiving but we were trying to think of what to cook that Ty could eat. The normal menu of ham, casseroles, yams and potatoes were a no brainier – or at least should have been.

But when you have a child with cancer, even the simplest of things to eat become a challenge.

You see, a year ago this month, Ty had some of the worst mouth sores that he had ever had during his treatment. We woke up in the morning telling each other, “Happy Thanksgiving” (we did have a lot to be thankful about, even though Ty was fighting cancer). The smell of the food was filling the house and everyone was anxious to eat.

When it came time for the meal, Ty wasn’t able to eat at the table because he felt so bad. I took him a bowl of mashed potatoes with butter on them, which I thought was simple enough and would be easy to go down. Ty was famished and anxious to eat them; it had been a day or so since he had last eaten.

We said Grace and everyone dug in. But for Ty, it was one of the worst meals that he would ever experience. The mashed potatoes felt like shards of glass or gravel going down his throat. “Think about when you’re eating potato chips, and one goes down the wrong way and it hurts as it scrapes down your throat, of course multiply that by 1,000 chips all at once,” Ty said.

As tears fell down both our cheeks, I was at a loss for what to do. If mashed potatoes couldn’t be eaten, then what could? Frustration, sadness and anger hit me all at once.

How on earth is a child supposed to go through something like this? How is a family supposed to handle watching their child be in so much pain? I didn’t have the answers, but we figured it out.

A year ago this month, we were reminded about what things are important and what things are not so important. And having a child with cancer, who can’t eat and is in pain, made it crystal clear what the important things are.

“A year ago today, this week, this month,” these are some powerful words that remind us all how precious life is and how quickly things can change. Our lives changed forever, but somehow, some way we have found many, many things to be thankful for.

This year, Ty is looking forward to an extra helping of mashed potatoes.