This Week in Pediatric Oncology

TWiPO #82: Dr. Brenda Weigel on The RACE Act & Early Phase Clinical Trials

WATCH THE VIDEO WEBCAST HERE: https://youtu.be/ANmLBfdVJYQ
Host Tim Cripe welcomes his new Co-Host, Dr. Brenda Weigel, to reflect on her career, leadership, and focus areas since her last interview on TWiPO in 2017. Dr. Weigel is the Director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of Minnesota's Cancer Center, Chair of Developmental Therapeutics in the COG, and Chair of the Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network (PEP-CTN) for the NCI.
 
She is at the epi-center for getting new drugs into the clinic for children with cancer and shares her perspective on the impact of the game-changing RACE Act that was implemented in 2020. She weighs in on prioritization of same-class drugs, evolving clinical trial design for small patient populations, and the increasing need for international collaboration in conducting clinical trials. She also discusses the importance of quality-of-life assessments and patient-reported outcomes and shares the efforts ongoing in the US and EU regulatory landscape to advance drug development for children with cancer.

Discussing Brain Tumor Research with Dr. Michael Taylor & Dr. Nabil Ahmed

WATCH THE VIDEO WEBCAST HERE: https://youtu.be/TwBmCwq3gJc
This week was International Brain Tumor Awareness Week & we're closing out the week with this engaging discussion. TWIPO Host, Dr. Timothy Cripe, met with Dr. Michael Taylor, from SickKids in Toronto, Canada, and Dr. Nabil Ahmed, from Texas Children's Hospital, to discuss their recently published paper on a novel immunotherapy approach for children with metastatic medulloblastoma and ependymoma.
You can read their full paper here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32341580/

TWIPO: Interview with Douglas Hawkins, MD - Chair of Children's Oncology Group (COG)

WATCH THE VIDEO WEBCAST HERE: https://youtu.be/p7rMXwAu3qA
This Week in Pediatric Oncology (TWIPO) - our host, Timothy Cripe, MD, meets with the new Chair of the Children's Oncology Group (COG), Douglas Hawkins, MD, to discuss the future of the pediatric cancer research landscape.
 
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The Pandemic's Impact on the Pediatric Cancer Research Landscape

• How is the pandemic changing current cancer care services?• What is the current state of open clinical trials and how will new, near-term trials be affected?• What is the impact on emerging new therapies and translational research?• Are there any silver linings to all of this for childhood cancer research?
These answers and more are discussed in this special episode for cancer families where leaders from COG, the NCI and the pharmaceutical industry lead a community discussion about the pandemic's impact on all aspects of pediatric cancer research including clinical trials and standard cancer care services, followed by Q&A with questions from families and attendees.
 
We are joined by:- Peter Adamson, MD – former Chair, Children's Oncology Group (COG) and current Global Head, Oncology Development & Pediatric Innovation, Sanofi
- Mark Kieran, MD, PhD – Pediatric Clinical Trial Lead, Bristol Myers Squibb
- Jeffery J. Auletta, MD - Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program and the Host Defense and Immunocompromised Infectious Diseases Program at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
- Carol Thiele, Ph.D, Deputy Chief, National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pediatric Oncology Branch
- Prof. Pamela Kearns President, European Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOPE), Director of Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit
Moderated by: Timothy P. Cripe, MD, PhD – Chief of Hematology and Oncology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Hosted by: Solving Kids' Cancer US & UK, and Max Cure Foundation

Latest COVID-19 Insights from Doctors + Stories from the Frontline to inform Childhood Cancer Families & the General Community

Experts from the medical community will update us on our progress to-date and what to expect in the coming weeks and months. Also, parents from a New York family both diagnosed with COVID-19 will share their family’s current story/experience and important insights from the frontline.Please join this timely webinar to hear expert opinions, real-life descriptions, ask questions, and share information on:• Progress on containing and treating the virus• Could viruses like COVID-19 be the new normal?• Medical services to pediatric cancer patients – how much of a delay right now?• Clinical research trials for cancer and other diseases on hold – impact to getting new treatments developed• Sharing a personal story: Real life with COVID-19 from a family’s perspective in New YorkQ&A to followGuest Speakers:• Timothy P. Cripe, MD, PhD, Chief of Hematology and Oncology, Nationwide Children’s Hospital• Jeffery J. Auletta, MD, Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program and Host Defense and Immunocompromised Infectious Diseases – Nationwide Children’s Hospital• New York couple diagnosed with COVID-19 at home with their family

Discussion on Impact of COVID-19 in the Pediatric Cancer Community

As our world faces the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, it’s vital that we address key topics important to children & families in the Pediatric Cancer CommunityPlease listen to this informative webinar to hear from experts, ask questions, and share information on:- An overview of COVID-19 pandemic: Fact versus fiction- COVID-19: What are the risks to immunocompromised patients?- Impact of COVID-19 on care and clinical researchExpert Discussion Leaders:Timothy P. Cripe, MD, PhD – Chief of Hematology and Oncology at Nationwide Children’s HospitalJeffery J. Auletta, MD - Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program and the Host Defense and Immunocompromised Infectious Diseases Program at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
 
This audio was taken from a webinar, to watch the full video with resources click here: https://vimeo.com/400382067

TWiPO #76 - Rebecca Johnson & Becca Jacobsen discuss Adolescent/Young adult psycho-social support programs

Guest host Dr. Ryan Roberts welcomes Rebecca Johnson and Becca Jacobsen to a conversation about the benefits and contributions of AYA (Adolescent/Young Adult) psycho-social support programs which serve the needs and challenges within this demographic of cancer patients and survivors.

TWiPO #75 - Interview with Dr. Robert Wechsler-Reya

Host, Dr. Timothy Cripe from Nationwide Children's Hospital, along with co-host - Dr. Nilay Shah, are joined by Dr. Robert Wechsler-Reya from Sanford Burnham Prebys in San Diego, CA. They discuss Dr. Wechsler-Reya's work including the process, benefits, and limitations of tumor models in mice, as well as research behind the humanized mouse model. They also discuss immune evasion - how one tumor type can grow in the presence of an immune system, while another one cannot. Listen in to learn more.
Please send questions and comments to TWiPO@solvingkidscancer.org.

TWiPO #74 - Interview with Abby Rosenberg

TWIPO Host Tim Cripe, alongside co-hosts Ryan Roberts and Lisa Humphrey, engage in an insightful conversation with guest Abby Rosenberg, Director, Palliative Care and Resilience Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute.
Rosenberg, with Seattle Children’s colleague, Yi-Frazier, developed a promising systematic intervention program called PRISM (Promoting Resilience in Stress Management) for teens and young adults to better equip them with skills to manage their stress after a cancer diagnosis. PRISM has undergone pilot/feasibility studies and has received NIH funding for further study. Listen in to learn more.
Please send questions and comments to TWiPO@solvingkidscancer.org.
 

TWiPO #73 - Dr. Peter Adamson comes back to talk about progress, the drug shortage, families' impact, and so much more

Host, Dr. Timothy Cripe from Nationwide Children's Hospital, along with his co-hosts - Dr. Ryan Roberts, Dr. Nilay Shah, Dr. Keri Streby, and Dr. Mark Ranalli, interview Dr. Peter Adamson from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Adamson was previously interviewed back in 2011, in Podcast #9, and they discuss the progress that has been made since then. Dr. Adamson goes on to talk about private-public partnerships, families' impact on the field, the drug shortage problem, and much more. Tune in to this podcast to learn more about all of these interesting topics.