Arkansas Children's Hospital Archives - Hyundai Hope On Wheels

2017

Impact Grant

Dr. Gregory Kearns

Little Rock, AK

In order to accelerate the Hematology/Oncology program’s ability to provide quality care and support services for children with cancer and their families, the team proposes the following strategies:

Laboratory research. The Pediatric Hematology Oncology program will continue basic laboratory research in the molecular classification of acute myeloid leukemia in children (AML). AML is the second most common type of leukemia affecting children, but unfortunately there is still significant room for improvement in the outcome of AML. Dr. Jason Farrar, an Arkansas Children’s Hospital researcher, has been among the leaders in the multi-institutional research project known as TARGET AML. This project has developed a comprehensive library of the molecular “signature” of thousands of childhood AML tissue samples, and has correlated these results with the aggressiveness and response to treatment of the leukemia with this signature. He has already presented his work at national meetings, such as the American Society of Hematology conference. With a $25,000 gift from Hyundai Hope on Wheels, Pediatric Oncology Fellow Dr. Dragon Do will have the opportunity to work with, learn from and support Dr. Farrar in this cutting edge research.

Clinical research. Arkansas Children’s continues to be heavily committed to improved care and outcomes of children with cancer. The hospital is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group, as well as other childhood cancer research consortia that coordinate clinical trial research, such as the POETIC consortium which studies exciting “New Agents” in development. These types of clinical trials have been crucial to the outstanding improvement in the cure of childhood cancer over the past 50 years. Unfortunately, funding from the Children’s Oncology Group and the National Cancer Institute has been stagnant or reduced for many years, making it difficult to support the hiring of Clinical Research Associates (CRA) who are critical for data collection and regulatory compliance necessary to conduct such research. A $20,000 gift from Hyundai Hope on Wheels will create the possibility for CRAs to collect important data and conduct life-saving clinical cancer research.

Education for families. Parents and other family members are understandably shocked when their child is diagnosed with cancer. Like most childhood cancer programs, Arkansas Children’s provides support and assistance to families to help them cope with the stress and uncertainty associated with the diagnosis. We’ve learned that the more information families can learn about the disease, its treatment and its expected outcome, the better they can cope with the ramifications. To that end, Arkansas Children’s has been committed to educating our patients’ families with ongoing, one-on-one teaching using handbooks, guidelines and other educational materials. With a $5,000 gift, Arkansas Children’s will be able to update and produce educational materials to be provided to families.