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The funding support from Curing Kids Cancer has allowed the Clinical Research Office (Aflac CRO) within the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta continue to grow and make new treatments and trials available to patients. The Aflac CRO now has over 200 studies that are enrolling, treating and/or following patients active with the regulatory committees. The Aflac CRO continues to open new studies in an effort to ensure that there is a study available for every patient seen. The Aflac CRO would not be able to offer clinical trials for rare cancers without the continued support of Curing Kids Cancer. Curing Kids Cancer also provides funding to support the personnel needed to enroll patients on study and follow them during and after treatment. In the first half of 2009, the Aflac Cancer Center enrolled nine Innovative Therapy patients (Phase I or II clinical trials), 52 patients to therapeutic pilot studies or Phase III trials and 81 patients to non-therapeutic clinical trials (some may be registered to both therapeutic and non-therapeutic trials). The Curing Kids Cancer funding also supports the Aflac CRO's efforts to work with multiple cooperative groups, private foundations, pharmaceutical companies and the federal government to secure additional funds to continue our research endeavors, including developing and opening new, investigator initiated clinical trials.
Dr Howard Katzenstein
Director, Clinical Research and Innovative Therapy program Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service Children's Healthcare of Atlanta |
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 "At the end of the season, ask your teams to make a donation to Coaches Curing Kids Cancer instead the usual gift . It’s a fantastic cause. I know as a coach, I appreciate the gift certificates , team pictures , and other gifts . But I would trade it all for the opportunity to help a child with cancer ." Paul Greenwell Shaw Park Baseball Marietta, Ga. 
Attached is a picture of some of the coaches in our league on our Opening Day 2007. For the last few years we been donating to your organization. Many of our coaches wear your t-shirt at local functions and get many questions about Coaches Curing Kids' Cancer. I personally was at the Little League World Seris and had a couple on the bus ask about it. They seemed very interested. Thanks again for all you do. |
Thank you for this opportunity to tell you about how we are using the wonderful support from CKC to support our translational research studies on the use of an immunotoxin to attack human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), especially the critical leukemia stem cells that sustain and propagate the leukemia. Taking advantage of generous CKC seed support, my lab has developed a powerful new model for human ALL stem cells, defined operationally as the cells which generate human leukemias in our highly immunodeficient mice. Our human-mouse model is sensitive and specific, and we are expanding our current small bank of human leukemia cells (fresh frozen from patients) from which we can assess leukemia stem cells. In the first test of ALL cells in this model, we have shown the potency of a further engineered immunotoxin against human leukemia stem cells. After we obtain results with cells from several cases of ALL, we will formally compare the immunotoxin sensitivity of the leukemia stem cells versus the bulk leukemia cells. We will then go on to rationally select and empirically test combining the immunotoxin treatment with conventional ALL medicines. Thus, we are extremely pleased with the scientific progress that the CKC support has allowed. In addition, we are glad to report that, armed with this preliminary data, we have successfully obtained longer term funding from the Leukemia Lymphoma Society that will allow us to continue to support the collaborative efforts of the Pastan, Wayne and Civin groups to enhance immunotoxin therapy for childhood ALL. We sincerely hope that there will be lasting impact from the CKC seed funding of our research, and that the ultimate impact will include many children cured of ALL. Thank you again for making this all possible. Curt I. Civin, MD Herman & Walter Samuelson Professor of Cancer Research Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Bunting-Blaustein Cancer Research Bldg, 2M44 1650 Orleans St Baltimore, MD 21231 |
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Dr. Howard Katzenstein 