News

New gene therapy strategy for sickle cell disease shows early promise in humans

A patient with a severe form of sickle cell disease is symptom-free after gene therapy knocks down BCL11A and restores fetal hemoglobin production.

Fishing for new leads in rare mucosal melanoma

Vector reports that zebrafish are helping scientists dissect intricate molecular pathways in cancer and discover new treatment approaches.

Dana-Farber and Boston Children’s Hospital teams win Moonshot grants

The federal Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot program has awarded two grants of $2.5 million over five years to two research teams led by scientists from Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

In zebrafish, a way to find new cancer therapies, targeting tumor promoters

Vector reports on a new study that finds that retinoic acid, best known as an acne treatment, may also be effective in treating adenoid cystic carcinoma.

Leslie Kean, MD, PhD, joins Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Stem Cell Transplantation program

Kean will assume overall leadership in the program’s clinical practice and research in coordination with the Clinical Director, Leslie Lehmann, MD.

Dana-Farber/Boston Children's again ranked among the top national pediatric cancer programs

U.S. News & World Report has ranked Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center the top pediatric cancer program in New England and #3 in the nation in its new 2018-19 Best Children's Hospitals report.

Solving the DIPG puzzle a single cell at a time

Vector reports that scientists have discovered that DIPG/DMG tumors are made up of H3K27M-mutated cell populations that contain many cells stuck in a stem-cell-like state, fueling tumor growth.

Probing the brain’s earliest development, with a detour into rare childhood cancers

In this Vector report, researchers from Boston Children's Hospital found that gaining a greater understanding of how the c-Myc gene functions could lead to new discoveries in neurodevelopment and pediatric cancers.

Pioneering hematologist to receive 2018 Nemmers Prize in Medical Science

Stuart H. Orkin, MD, an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor at Harvard Medical School known for his landmark discoveries into blood cell development and the genetic basis of blood disorders, is the recipient of the 2018 Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science at Northwestern University.

A bold strategy to enhance CAR T-cell therapies, capable of targeting DIPG and other tough-to-treat cancers

As reported in Vector, a Boston-based team of researchers, made up of scientists and pediatric oncologists, believe a better CAR T-cell therapy is on the horizon.