Archive for cancer
After retinoblastoma, Finn ‘keeps showing us what he can do’
Six-year-old Finn Carlson “isn’t afraid of anything,” says his mother, Shannon. Whether he’s playing with firetrucks, chasing after his twin, Mack, or riding the tractor on his grandparents’ dairy farm, he’s always up for an adventure. His fearless, free-spirited attitude is even more impressive considering the challenges he’s faced. Born at just 24 weeks, Finn ... Read More
Obesity is increasing people’s risk of cancer. Why?
Obesity is now a global epidemic, and it is increasing people’s risk for cancer. The National Cancer Institute lists more than a dozen cancers that are associated with overweight and obesity. But how obesity increases cancer risk hasn’t been clear. The lab of Marsha A. Moses, PhD, at Boston Children’s Hospital, now draws a direct ... Read More
Bladder surgery after Ewing sarcoma helps Paralympian get back on the slopes
Thomas Walsh’s email signature includes the phrase, “No struggle, no progress.” It’s a motto that Thomas, 27, has lived by since he was a teenager. An avid skier who has been competing since he was just 5 years old, he faced a different kind of opponent when he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma at age ... Read More
Tim Springer: Scientist, entrepreneur, and mentor
As an undergraduate in 1966, immunologist, biochemist, and biophysicist Timothy A. Springer, PhD, looked askance at science. The Vietnam War was going on, and he saw science as a means of making Agent Orange and napalm. Questioning his own Ivy League education, he left Yale to spend a year as a VISTA volunteer on a ... Read More
Preventing ‘chemo brain’ with antioxidants targeting the spinal fluid
Up to three-quarters of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy suffer from “chemo brain” — a side effect that makes it harder to remember things, maintain attention, and learn new information. When it strikes children, whose brains are still developing, effects are sometimes long lasting, affecting their schoolwork and self-esteem. “One of the most distressing potential side ... Read More
Making ready-made CAR T cells for cancer immunotherapy
In CAR T-cell immunotherapy, T cells from a patient’s own blood are engineered to carry so-called chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) that enable the T cells to attack and kill tumor cells. While CAR-T therapy is a powerful approach for certain leukemias and lymphomas, it’s not available for many patients who need it. It can be ... Read More
New work transforms our knowledge of how blood is formed
The origins of our blood may not be quite what we thought. In groundbreaking research, scientists in the Stem Cell Program at Boston Children’s Hospital used cellular “barcoding” techniques in mice to track the development of blood in real time — and found that blood cells originate not from one type of mother cell, but ... Read More
Genomic ‘fingerprinting’ yields better treatments for pediatric solid cancers
Genomic profiling is increasingly used for solid tumors in adults and for pediatric brain tumors and blood cancers, allowing treatments to be matched to patients’ mutations. But for children with solid tumors, genomic fingerprinting has been elusive, because these cancers are so varied and individually so rare. Therapies therefore remain non-specific: chemotherapy, surgery, and/or radiation. ... Read More
Exploiting a vulnerability in an aggressive leukemia
Survival has improved greatly in children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). But a certain form of ALL that occurs mostly in babies is still very lethal, with a survival rate below 50 percent: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with rearrangements of the mixed lineage leukemia gene, or MLL B-ALL. “Something about the biology of this type ... Read More
Shining a light on the SPF gap: Why sun protection is so important for children of color
With summer just around the corner, it’s important to understand the risks that come along with those long, hot days in the sun. It’s also important to recognize some pretty dangerous misconceptions about sun protection — namely that Black children and other children of color don’t need to worry about skin protection and skin cancers. ... Read More