Research: Beat Childhood Cancer

11/25/2025

On Friday was Penn State College of Medicine Pediatric Research Day, where our lab team and interns from this summer presented their work over the course of the past year.

One of our intern's, Madison Rozwat, and our BCC Assistant Professor, Jeremy Hengst, were also asked to give oral presentations on this research.

We are very proud of our Lab team as they help utilize the samples and resources from our clinical trials to move research forward into even more future clinical trials!

11/24/2025

Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium welcomes The Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona (PCCB) at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu as the first center outside North America to join the Consortium.

This is a major milestone in our mission to accelerate access to life-saving therapies for children worldwide.

The first study the site will open is our BCC018 trial using naxitamab as a first-line treatment in newly diagnosed patients with high-risk neuroblastoma.

Find Penn State's full press release here: https://pennstatehealthnews.org/2025/11/penn-states-beat-childhood-cancer-research-consortium-welcomes-sjd-pediatric-cancer-center-barcelona/

10/27/2025

We had the honor and the privilege to visit the Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Children’s Hospital in Barcelona Spain led by Dr. Jaume Mora. Dr Mora is the scientific director of Oncology and Hematology at the SJD Pediatric Cancer Center and director of the developmental tumours laboratory.

The hospital and teams we met were amazing! The facility brings together the healthcare services aimed at patients with cancer in one single place, as well as spaces dedicated to research. The aim is to treat a large volume of patients more effectively, efficiently and adequately, > 400 new patients per year, with a highly specialised team.

We also got to watch the “step up” protocol of the naxitamab infusion, studied by Dr. Mora and his team, that titrates the dose and uses a different premedication regimen that is much better tolerated by the patient. We saw this difference in side effects first hand and are eager to advocate to our sites to move to this approach for a better patient experience.

We are excited for Dr. Mora and his team to be our first BCC site outside of North America! 🌎🇪🇸🔬

10/23/2025

That is a wrap on our time at the Society of International Pediatric Oncology Conference! Thanks for everyone that stopped by our booth and connected with us throughout the meeting. The scientific program was very strong and we were honored to participate again this year!

10/14/2025

The International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) 2025 Conference will take place in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from October 20 to 23. This conference will feature cutting-edge science and networking opportunities in pediatric oncology on a global level.

We will be at Booth #01 and are looking forward to connecting. Please stop by if you will be in attendance!

10/04/2025

In a rapidly evolving landscape of pediatric oncology, precision medicine is redefining how we understand, diagnose, and treat childhood cancers. This expert panel that we hosted at the Advancing Precision Medicine Conference brought together leaders in genomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, immunotherapy and clinical practice to spotlight innovations in precision medicine that are personalizing care for our young patients. The panel explored how to bridge the translational divide between research and real world clinical application. We must foster this interdisciplinary collaboration to accelerate progress.

09/30/2025

Last week was the 2025 Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) Conference in Providence, Rhoad Island. The conference offers nurses access to cutting-edge sessions, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities.

One of our BCC nurses, Suzanne Treadway, from Site 22, Penn State Health Children's Hospital, presented on behalf of BCC our poster on the safety comparisons of different dose levels of DFMO. Suzanne is a remarkable patient advocate and exemplifies the very best qualities of a dedicated and compassionate nurse.

When asked what she loved about APHON this year, she said "It's my first in person conference in years and I loved seeing so many old friends. It has been a thrill to hear so many stories of success with DFMO/IWILFIN."

09/25/2025

09/25/2025

NEW PUBLICATION ALERT!!

New publication in The Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology this month titled "Naxitamab-combination Therapy for the Treatment of Patients with Refractory and/or Relapsed High-risk Neuroblastoma".

"Approved treatments for patients with refractory and/or relapsed (R/R) high-risk (HR) neuroblastoma are limited, and there is a need for new treatment combinations. In this case series, 4 patients were treated with the anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody naxitamab and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in combination with cyclophosphamide and topotecan between August 2021 and December 2022. This combined
chemoimmunotherapy regimen was well tolerated in these heavily pretreated patients with R/R HR neuroblastoma who had few treatment options and overall poor prognoses."

Read more at the link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40793753

09/19/2025

We are excited to be hosting an Expert Panel at the Annual Advancing Precision Medicine Conference in Philadelphia, PA on October 3, 2025 titled "Transforming Pediatric Oncology: The Power of Precision Medicine"

Our panel is hand-selected to highlight innovations in pediatric oncology precision medicine including bioinformatics, proteomics, genomics, immunotherapy, and clinical implementation. We hope to facilitate a lively discussion on current practices, translational gaps, and future directions in this 50 minute session. Please join us if you are able to attend!

Attendance is completely free for the academic and non-profit community, and complimentary CME credits will be offered to all participants. Register at this link: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.advancingprecisionmedicine.com/apm-home/apm-annual-conference-and-exhibition-in-philadelphia/__;!!Ls64Rlj6!w5vVeCdL8WIXF9PG7OmV-oVqOS55_bdYxrNJYEHETB_OX8oJcYzsZepoTf1WiXn4eqjwV8jAT5lgiu6jjzN-JpnUY_DyaNbVD5FmQIbHNtA$

09/12/2025

09/04/2025

Dr Jacqueline Kraveka, a member of the BCC Executive Committee, the BCC018 Study Chair, and BCC PI at the Medical University of South Carolina is in Brazil this week visiting Dr. Natalia Ambar and the team at GRAACC! We are excited to bring BCC Clinical Trials to the patients in Sao Paulo later this year! The first trial that will open in Brazil will be the BCC018 trial adding anti-GD2 therapy called naxitamab to upfront high risk neuroblastoma induction therapy to improve patient responses at end of induction. We look forward to adding GRAACC and Dr. Ambar to our BCC family!