To guarantee ongoing research support well into the future and to help the University of Minnesota recruit and retain outstanding faculty researchers, Children's Cancer Research Fund has a long-standing commitment to establishing permanent endowments. Endowed chairs provide a constant stream of funding to keep research moving forward.
We have established the following Endowed Chairs at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center:
Children's Cancer Research Fund Land Grant Chair
John H. Kersey, M.D.
High-Risk Childhood Leukemia: The MLL Gene
A form of high-risk childhood leukemia, the most common leukemia in children under the age of 1, has been the long-term focus of Dr. Kersey's research. His research supported, in part, through this endowed chair, has focused on the MLL gene, which is frequently mutated (rearranged) in high-risk infant leukemia and in leukemia that develops as a side effect of chemotherapy for other cancers. Leukemia cells carrying MLL-gene rearrangements are resistant to cell death compared to other leukemias, which explains their resistance to treatment with conventional chemotherapies. One focus of Dr. Kersey's research is to identify the molecular and biochemical pathways activated by the rearranged MLL gene. This knowledge will lead to an understanding of how best to treat this disease and, ultimately, how we might prevent it from developing.
Children's Cancer Research Fund Cancer Center Chair
Julie A. Ross, Ph.D.
Molecular Epidemiology of Childhood Cancer
Dr Ross' research is focused on understanding the causes and consequences of childhood cancer. In this past year, work funded in part by this Children's Cancer Research Fund Chair, Molecular Epidemiology of Childhood Cancer, focused on a) developing new statistical methods for interpreting data collected from epidemiology studies of childhood cancer, b) exploring the use of animal models to help us understand the potential relation between maternal exposure and risk of childhood cancer, and c) developing new technologies to measure cardiovascular health in childhood cancer survivors.
Lehman Family/Children's Cancer Research Fund Chair
Brenda Weigel, M.D.
Immune-based Therapies of Childhood Solid Tumors
Dr. Weigel has served as a national and local leader for testing new therapies in pediatric oncology. Her laboratory and clinical research on the most common soft-tissue cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma, a tumor of the muscle tissue, and her investigations into new immunotherapy strategies for treating pediatric cancers, have earned her a national reputation as an expert in this field. She was recently named as vice-chair of Developmental Therapeutics for the Children's Oncology Group, a National Cancer Institute-funded cooperative research group that initiates national clinical trials investigating new treatments for childhood cancers. Funds from this chair have, in part, supported her work researching new therapeutics and supported her ability to share her findings at national meetings
Hedberg Family/Children's Cancer Research Fund Chair
Brain Tumor Research
The investment income for this chair is being reinvested into the endowment to increase the resources available to the successful candidate, who will be recruited to lead the Brain Tumor Program. Great progress has been made this past year in the recruitment of a multidisciplinary leadership team and the development of a robust research agenda for the Brain Tumor Program.
Hageboeck Family/Children's Cancer Research Fund Chair
John Wagner, M.D.
Umbilical Cord Blood and Adult Stem Cell Research
Dr. Wagner's research, in part supported through this chair, has focused on understanding the biology of stem cells and their potential use to treat disease and repair tissue. His stem cell research utilizes cells derived from umbilical cord blood or from the marrow or peripheral blood of unrelated adults or sibling donors, and has resulted in promising novel strategies for preventing immunologic complications of blood and marrow transplants (BMT), repairing tissue after surgery and/or chemoradiation in cancer patients, or treating a number of currently incurable diseases in children and adults. Notably, this research resulted in the first BMT performed to treat epidermolysis bullosa, an inherited disease that leads to disfigurement, disability, an aggressive form of skin cancer, and early death.