Pilot grants awarded to researchers for innovative therapies

Dr. Susan Blaney, Director, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center, recently announced three one-year pilot grants awarded to physician scientists in The Russell and Glenda Gordy Center for Innovative Therapies at Texas Children’s. The awardees and the titles of their research projects are:

Holly Lindsay, MD

PIRATE: A Phase 1 Trial of RRx-001 in combination with irinotecan and temozolomide for pediatric patients with recurrent or progressive malignant solid and Central Nervous System tumors

Bilal Omer, MD

CAR T Cells for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Robin Parihar, MD, PhD

A nanoparticle drug-delivery platform for targeting the tumor immune microenvironment

Established in 2019, the Center was generously funded by a gift to Texas Children’s from Glenda and Russell Gordy to pursue the development of innovative new therapeutic approaches to treat children with cancer. The goals of the Center are to improve the outcome for children with cancer by translating our laboratory-based research findings into the development of effective treatments for currently incurable childhood cancers, and to develop targeted therapies for all childhood cancers that will maximize the quality of life of survivors by decreasing or eliminating long term side effects.

“We are so grateful that the Gordy’s saw the great potential in supporting the development of a Center for Innovative Therapies,” said Blaney. “There is no doubt that The Russell and Glenda Gordy Center for Innovative Therapies will have a transformational impact on the care of children with cancer and will move us closer to our ultimate goal of curing 100% of children with cancer with less toxic therapies.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RUSSELL AND GLENDA GORDY CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE THERAPIES