St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Over the last decade, we’ve made significant strides in uncovering the molecular foundations of pediatric glioma. While we now understand how these tumors differ from adult brain cancer, many questions still linger. What drives oncogenesis beyond just DNA mutations?    By exploring these mechanisms, we can deepen our understanding of cancer initiation and progression, ultimately leading to better treatments for our young patients.   Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Cynthia Hawkins, MD, PhD, from The Hospital for Sick Children and a professor at the University of Toronto discuss "Oncogenesis in Pediatric Glioma: Moving Beyond the Genome" on Thursday, October 10th at 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET. Register here: https://ow.ly/Nr2K50TCFn4

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of researchers through the National Graduate Student Symposium (NGSS). This three-day event offers top PhD candidates an unparalleled opportunity to explore postdoctoral careers, engage in research presentations, and participate in one-on-one meetings with esteemed faculty members. From the rich candidate pool, approximately 15% of attendees secure postdoctoral positions at St. Jude. By nurturing emerging scientists through NGSS and other educational initiatives, St. Jude is strengthening the pipeline for pediatric research, ensuring ongoing innovation and advancement. “Inviting top students to visit the St. Jude campus enhances our chance of recruiting them to St. Jude, and NGSS is crucial in facilitating this process,” said Linda Harris, PhD, Director of Postdoc Talent Acquisition. NGSS not only serves as a recruitment tool for postdoctoral positions but also opens doors to a variety of career paths within academia and beyond. By participating in NGSS, students gain insights into the innovative research environment at St. Jude, fostering meaningful connections that can significantly impact their professional journeys. Nominations are open until October 16. Help shape the future of pediatric research by nominating a deserving PhD student today. Learn more and nominate here: (https://ow.ly/VEI750TCs2T) #PostdocRecruitment #CareerDevelopment #ScientificCareers #PediatricResearch #NGSS #StJude

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has appointed M. Madan Babu, PhD, as its first Chief Data Scientist and Senior Vice President for Data Science. He will lead the new Office of Data Science, fostering a culture of data-driven biomedical research with 115 new positions. The $195 million research enterprise will bring new, advanced computing technologies and data science approaches to biomedical research. “Our ability to quickly analyze huge datasets is becoming increasingly crucial to scientific breakthroughs, particularly when it comes to biochemistry and cell biology,” said James R. Downing, M.D., MD, president and CEO of St. Jude. “Under the leadership of Dr. Babu, a globally recognized expert in this field, our Office of Data Science will strengthen data-sharing between the lab and the clinic, accelerating our progress in finding cures and developing treatments for children with catastrophic diseases.” The explosion of structural data in recent years has increased both the complexity and amount of biological information available to scientists who then translate the data into findings and then cures. The challenge is to integrate and derive actionable information from these large and diverse datasets. "St. Jude is a unique place and I am honored to lead this initiative,” said Babu. “With our intellectual ecosystem of talented clinical, experimental and data scientists united under the same mission, there’s no place better than St. Jude to build a data science enterprise of this magnitude.” Babu joined St. Jude in 2020 and has made pioneering contributions in gene regulation and protein research. He received the 2019 Gold Medal from the European Molecular Biology Organization and was a recent inductee of the Royal Society of London. He has made major contributions in the fields of G-protein coupled receptors, intrinsically disordered proteins and gene regulation. Read more. https://ow.ly/Xxln50TAAQh

Victor Santana, MD, has spent over four decades at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, dedicating his career to advancing pediatric cancer care through clinical trials. His recent contributions to chemo-immunotherapy for high-risk cancers such as neuroblastoma is further pushing the boundaries and has led to significant improvements in survival rates. “We have demonstrated that a chemo-immunotherapy approach is critical for improving the anti-tumor efficacy and survival of children with high-risk neuroblastoma,” he explains. Santana’s work has built on the institution’s legacy of innovation, including key milestones such as the Total Therapy approach for leukemia, which transformed the landscape of pediatric cancer treatment. Along with his colleagues, Santana has expanded this success to solid tumors, contributing to treatments for Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and other difficult-to-treat pediatric cancers. In addition to leading groundbreaking research, Santana’s work extends around the world through the St. Jude Global program, where he focuses on understanding the factors that impact patient family decisions to participate in clinical research. “St. Jude has recognized that in order to do global work, you have to partner with organizations that are policymakers,” he notes. Looking ahead, clinical trials at St. Jude will continue to evolve with advancements in immunotherapy, precision medicine and global collaboration, ensuring children worldwide have access to life-saving treatments. #PediatricOncology #ClinicalTrials #Immunotherapy #CancerResearch #GlobalHealth

Hongbo Chi, PhD, has been inducted as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at the organization’s annual Fellows Forum in Washington D.C. The honor recognizes his contributions to immunology and immunometabolism. His work in T-cell metabolism and adaptive immunity has led to a deeper understanding of the interplay between metabolism and immunity. “Dr. Chi's contributions to the scientific community are helping children with catastrophic diseases everywhere," said James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and CEO. "Other researchers and clinicians are building on his work, especially in the field of immunology, to find new ways to treat patients and improve their overall quality of life.” AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science Family of Journals, elects members annually whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, are scientifically or socially distinguished. Chi’s lab has performed pioneering research in immunometabolism, including establishing metabolic reprogramming of cell fate and state and defining mTOR and metabolic checkpoints in immune function and disease. His work is widely referenced, earning him a place on the lists of Highly Cited Researchers in immunology by the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate for four consecutive years. Chi is the 13th St. Jude faculty member selected as an AAAS Fellow. #AAAS #StJudeResearch #Immunology

Join us on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET to hear from Stephanie Halene, MD from Yale University School of Medicine. A leader in RNA biology and its implications for myelodysplasia and other hematological malignancies, Dr. Halene has developed groundbreaking xenotransplantation models and advanced our understanding of RNA splicing factor mutations in MDS. Don’t miss this opportunity to dive into her innovative research in “RNA Biology in MDS and Modeling Myelodysplasia.” Register here: https://ow.ly/vM3v50TwE1j

As advancements in sickle cell disease research unfold, the urgency for more effective treatments — and even cures — heightens. For 40 years, the only potential cure for sickle cell disease has been bone marrow transplantation. In recent years, groundbreaking advancements in gene editing have opened new avenues for treatment. St. Jude researchers Mitchell Weiss, MD, PhD, and Jonathan Yen, PhD, are at the forefront of genome-editing ability with base and prime editing, working with the St. Jude Collaborative Research Consortium for Sickle Cell Disease and specifically David Liu, PhD, of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, to pioneer innovative approaches to improve and expand treatment options for this disease. Their work in base and prime editing — advanced forms of gene editing beyond CRISPR-Cas9 — offer a glimpse of the future of treatment. Base editing is a highly efficient method of directly altering single DNA bases while prime editing is a more versatile technology capable of both base and gene edits. By using these innovations, researchers broaden the possibilities and effectiveness of genome editing, being able to directly fix the mutation underlying sickle cell disease by reverting the DNA to its healthy sequence. As Yen notes, “Base editors may be able to create more potent and precise edits than other technologies. But we must do more safety testing and optimization.” Weiss added, “We have identified what might be the next wave of therapies for genetic anemias. We took the newest cutting-edge genetic-engineering technology and showed that we could make meaningful gene edits for future therapies.” These new forms of gene editing could be key to providing a powerful, ‘one-size-fits-all’ treatment for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. By exploring these cutting-edge techniques, St. Jude scientists are making strides toward improving patient outcomes. This collaboration showcases the power of multidisciplinary teamwork, bringing together scientists from across the U.S. to find new solutions for genetic diseases. With prime and base editing at the forefront, St. Jude continues to innovate, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in genetic engineering and potentially providing cures for sickle cell disease and other genetic anemias. #StJude #SickleCellDisease #GeneEditing #BaseEditing #PrimeEditing #SickeCellAwarenessMonth

Join us for an insightful virtual lecture in our Science of Childhood Cancer series this Thursday, September 26th at 12PM CT/ 1PM ET. We’re thrilled to host Howard Chang, MD, PhD, a leading professor at Stanford School of Medicine. Dr. Chang will discuss innovative technologies for reading and writing ecDNAs, highlighting their significance in enhancing diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for cancer. Registration is free: https://ow.ly/W9wy50Ttol8

Delivering quality-assured cancer medicines to low- and middle-income countries presents many challenges and requires collaborative efforts by a wide variety of experts around the world. At the World Cancer Congress in Geneva this week, Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, MD, Chair, St. Jude Department of Pediatric Medicine, and Director of St. Jude Global, led a session discussing these aspects of the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines. Other speakers in the session include delegates from WHO, UNICEF and PAHO, as well as representatives from Zambia, Mongolia and Ecuador who will discuss their roles in addressing the challenges of delivering quality medicines effectively in low- and middle-income countries. The collaborative Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines initiative was created by St. Jude and World Health Organization to provide an uninterrupted supply of medicines to low- and middle-income countries for the treatment of childhood cancer. The challenges of availability, quality and cost are different in each country and forming unified efforts to address those challenges between the institutions, governments, the pharmaceutical industry, nongovernmental organizations and the nonprofit sector is key to establishing effectiveness for the Global Platform. In other sessions, Catherine Lam, MD, MPH, FRCPC, FAAP, discussed understanding and addressing childhood cancer disparities between high-income and low-income countries; and Michael McNeil, MD, MPH, discussed a model of education and training to advance global integration of Pediatric Palliative Care.

A wide array of experts, students and professionals in bioinformatics, imaging, data science and software engineering took the opportunity to innovate, learn and collaborate at the St. Jude KIDS24 (Knowledge in Data Science) BioHackathon this month. In the third annual event, teams worked on projects to create software-based solutions to address questions and challenges proposed by the research community. “It’s nice to have a more direct connection at times to the noble endeavor of the research going on here,” said Kennon Silence, Sr. Technical Support Specialist at St. Jude. The BioHackathon has already proven fruitful in the research community. In 2022, graduate school student Christy LaFlamme led a team to build the methylation pipeline used for a study of unsolved pediatric developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, identifying causes of severe and complex epilepsies in children. All team members were included as co-authors in a paper detailing the study in Nature Communications earlier this year, showing the event's collaborative nature. “Needless to say, you will learn something at this event, regardless of what particular expertise or skills you bring to the table,” LaFlamme said.