David Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics - Hematology/Oncology
University of Iowa
“We are using stem cell models, cancer cell lines, and patient-derived models of Ewing sarcoma in the laboratory to identify targets for differentiation-based therapies. We are also working on targeting DNA replication stress in tumors using FDA-approved drugs and identifying novel approaches to activate tumor suppressors in sarcomas.
Not much progress has been made in the past two decades in the treatment of Ewing sarcoma (and other pediatric sarcomas, including osteosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma) so I am very interested in translating our work to the clinic. We used our stem cell model to identify that Ewing sarcoma tumors are uniquely sensitive to a particular combination of drugs-- inhibitors of ribonucleotide reductase (an enzyme involved in DNA synthesis) + drugs that inhibit the ATR/CHK1 pathway (involved in DNA damage repair). The combination of ribonucleotide reductase + ATR/CHK1 inhibitors is currently being tested in early phase clinical trials in adults and children, and we hope to be able test this drug combination in kids with relapsed or refractory Ewing sarcoma.”
-Dr. David Gordon
2023 Go Gold Gala Funded Researchers
2023 Go Gold Gala
Funded Researchers
Jessica foster, M.D.
researcher and attending physician - Hematology/Oncology
children's hospital of philadelphia
Dr. Foster’s research and clinical interests focuses on developing CAR T cells for pediatric solid and brain tumors and improving CAR T cell efficacy and safety using RNA-based technologies.
Her current research began during oncology fellowship, where using a CD19 CAR model, she was able to improve existing RNA CAR technology through the use of a novel purification method, paving the way for RNA CAR T cell therapy in solid and brain tumors. Her goal moving forward has been to apply these same RNA synthesis techniques toward CAR T cells targeting pediatric solid and brain tumors.
During her time in the lab she has published on this work and taken on multiple projects developing CAR therapy for neuroblastoma and high-grade pediatric brain tumors. These projects include targeting GD2 with RNA CAR T cells for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, development of new CAR structures targeting GPC2 for neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma and high-grade gliomas, as well as using mRNA encoding cytokines as a boost to enhance the efficacy of CAR T cells for solid and brain tumors. Dr. Foster is also investigating additional immunotherapeutic targets using genomic sequencing, RNA sequencing, and proteomic data.
Previously Funded
Go Gold Gala Researchers
Previously Funded Go Gold Gala Researchers
Jim olson, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Clinical Research
Jennifer Lynn Kranz, Unravel Pediatric Cancer Endowed Chair
As a physician-scientist, Dr. Olson cares for children with brain tumors and conducts research that focuses on discovering and developing new cancer therapies. His lab’s work has led to more than a dozen national clinical trials, of which he leads a Phase III trial through the Children’s Oncology Group. Dr. Olson is the founder of Presage Biosciences and Blaze Bioscience.
His lab invented the chlorotoxin-based Tumor Paint, which led to the development by Blaze of the clinical candidate Tozuleristide (BLZ-100), now in human trials. He authored “Clinical Pharmacology Made Ridiculously Simple,” which has been the most used pharmacology board review book for more than 25 years.
Dr. Olson earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology in 1989 and his M.D. in 1991, both from the University of Michigan. He then completed his residency in pediatrics in 1994 and his fellowship in pediatric oncology in 1997, both at the University of Washington. Dr. Olson is currently a Full Member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a Professor at the University of Washington, and an Attending Physician at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
What makes Unravel different?
In the traditional funding model, researchers cannot be nimble. If their research leads them to a new and important finding, they cannot redirect funds from other grants to pursue this promising information.
This is where Unravel comes in. Our goal at Unravel is to eliminate obstacles, bottlenecks, and barriers by providing unrestricted funding to help researchers translate ideas into new therapies. We do not ask researchers to take hours to write a grant. We select the best researchers knowing they are working tirelessly to find new, less toxic therapies for the children they are treating and their families.
Unravel funding disrupts a broken system.
Traditional Grant Funding
The current funding system mainly supports clinical trials, hardly any money goes to funding innovation and early stage research.
Our goal at Unravel is to eliminate obstacles, bottlenecks, and barriers by providing unrestricted funding to help researchers find new therapies. Putting the emphasis and money towards early stage research and innovation.
This is where Unravel can make a difference and prevent more kids from dying of cancer.
unravel Funding
How do we select what research gets funding?
We have created a Scientific Review Committee compiled of current pediatric research scientists, members of a pediatric research consortium, pharmaceutical industry scientists, and/or clinical trials coordinators. These individuals are in place to help us to identify pediatric cancer scientists with promising work that we can fund.
Scientific Review Committee
Alia Merla, PhD. Unravel’s Scientific Review Committee Chair
Jaclyn A Biegel, PhD, Division Chief of Genomic Medicine and the Director of the Center for Personalized Medicine in the Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Professor of Clinical Pathology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
Jay Sarthy MD, PhD. Acting Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine, Attending Physician, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Research Associate, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Judy Davie, Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Katherine E. Warren, MD. Clinical Director, Pediatric Neuro-Oncology. Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Boston, MA
Dr. Lisa Roth. Assistant Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. Director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Lymphoma Program at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian Hospital
Michelle Monje, MD, PhD. Associate professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University. Scientific director of the Stanford Center for Childhood Brain Tumors.
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