Local Organizations Grant $30K to Pediatric AML Research

Nebraska-based Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation (sammyssuperheroes.org) and Lolo’s Angels have teamed up to raise $30,000 to fund a research project aimed at finding modern treatments for pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

The “Target Pediatric AML” (TpAML) project is the largest, most comprehensive and methodical disease biology study ever conducted in pediatric cancer, and in acute myeloid leukemia. It is also the Children’s Oncology Group’s (COG) highest potential, greatest need AML-related research project. This focused discovery effort is sorely needed due to the complexity and diversity of this challenging disease, which remains one of the poorest prognoses in childhood cancers. It will leverage large-scale, deep, genomic sequencing of 1,000 banked patient samples, identifying new subtypes, drivers, enablers, unique identifiers (biomarkers) and vulnerabilities. This process will uncover new therapeutic targets, which will be mapped to all existing and emerging targeted agents, resulting in a much-needed, expanded treatment arsenal.

The $30,000 grant is the first grant given away under Sammy’s Superheroes’ Sidekick Program. The Sidekick Program is designed to provide groups that want to raise money for childhood cancer the ability to offer tax benefits to their donors without having 501c3 standing.

Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation (sammyssuperheroes.org) is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to raise money for life-saving research that will lead to modern treatments for all types of childhood cancer. Lolo’s Angels (lolosangels.org) is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for pediatric AML.