What Is a Consortium Grant?
What exactly is a consortium? Let us explain. Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research (Rally) defines a consortium as three or more institutions (i.e., university, hospital) collaborating on a grant-supported research project. A principal investigator from the lead institution applies with the support of at least two other collaborating institutions. The success of the project depends on the unique contributions of each collaborating institution. RESEARCH GRANTS Rally helps fund the most promising research initiatives through research grants including our Consortium Grant. A Rally research grant is a financial award provided to universities, hospitals and private research institutions to support a specific research project. Rally grants are awarded based on a competitive dual peer-review process conducted by our Medical Advisory Board, which is made up of leading childhood...
Discovering the Reality of Childhood Cancer Treatment
On our diagnosis day, we were told that our four-year-old Gus had Ewing Sarcoma. What doctors didn’t know was the particular type or variant he had. Tumor Sequencing Tumor sequencing is vital, as some variants of Ewing’s sarcomas have poorer outcomes, require specific drugs, and prohibit the use of other drugs. The variant determines the treatment plan. Parents need to know the type of cancer their child is fighting- and if the hospital doesn’t know, parents should demand to have the tumor genetically sequenced. As Dean taught me, “The pathology report is king.” Treatment I could go on and on about the horrors of the treatment Gus endured: scary nights when our son’s heart was beating so fast it seemed as though he was having a heart attack… or beating so slowly that he was unresponsive; the endless needle pokes for blood and platelet transfusions; the horrific bowel movement issues;...
What is Big Data and Childhood Cancer Research
After being born and living in Turkey my whole life, I came to the US for college to study biological sciences at the University of Chicago. When the laboratory research internship I found for the summer of my first year was cancelled due to COVID-19, I joined a resume match program of my school’s Career Advancement Office, which matched students with employers based on experience and preferences. It was initially through this program that I matched with the Pediatric Cancer Data Commons (PCDC) and started working as their undergraduate summer intern. Later, this internship extended into a part-time job, and I worked with them for nearly a year. Previously in high school, I had worked with a non-profit organization called Cancer Warriors (Kanser Savaşçıları) for more than a year. Through this organization, I had visited the pediatric hematology and oncology departments of an...
What is an Astrocytoma?
An astrocytoma is a brain tumor that begins in astrocytes—a type of glial cell that supports nerve cells in the brain. Astrocytomas can be benign or malignant and typically occur in the brainstem, cerebellum, cerebrum, hypothalamus or optic nerves. Tumors that start in glial cells are called gliomas and are named for the specific kind of glial cell in which they originate: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes or ependymocytes. Astrocytomas are the most common form of gliomas found in children—accounting for nearly half of all pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors. Like all gliomas, astrocytomas are divided into four grades based on factors including the rate of tumor growth, level of cell abnormality and effects on surrounding healthy tissue. Low-grade astrocytomas (grades I and II) are often localized to one area and typically behave less aggressively. While considered benign, these tumors...
What is Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH)?
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder in which the body produces an overabundance of Langerhans cells. These cells, which are also known as histiocytes, are a type of white blood cell that helps the immune system fight off infections. LCH causes too many of these cells to form, ultimately resulting in a buildup in the body. This accumulation of cells then damages organs, forms tumors, and otherwise disrupts normal tissue functions. According to the Histiocytosis Association, approximately one in 200,000 children is diagnosed with LCH. LCH is classified into three syndromes: Eosinophilic granuloma: the most common type that occurs most often in children who are five to 15 years of age Hand-Schüller-Christian disease: a chronic form of LCH that is typically diagnosed before the age of five Letterer-Siwe disease: a rare and potentially fatal syndrome that affects children...
What Is an Independent Investigator Grant?
Independent Investigator Grants are awarded to principal investigators. Let’s begin by explaining the role of a principal investigator. Principal investigators are typically faculty members (e.g., professor, associate professor, assistant professor) who lead a research lab as an expert in their field. As the lab leader, they are responsible for developing the research agenda, designing research projects, securing funding (often through grants like Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research’s (Rally)), and mentoring lab members (e.g., graduate students, fellows). Once researching independently as a principal investigator, also known as a PI, you are typically considered an early career investigator (i.e., young investigator) or fully independent. Young investigators are at a critical career stage where they must establish themselves through research, publications and grant funding....
What Is a Consortium Grant?
What exactly is a consortium? Let us explain. Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research (Rally) defines a consortium as three or more institutions (i.e., university, hospital) collaborating on a grant-supported research project. A principal investigator from the lead institution applies with the support of at least two other collaborating institutions. The success of the project depends on the unique contributions of each collaborating institution. RESEARCH GRANTS Rally helps fund the...
Discovering the Reality of Childhood Cancer Treatment
On our diagnosis day, we were told that our four-year-old Gus had Ewing Sarcoma. What doctors didn’t know was the particular type or variant he had. Tumor Sequencing Tumor sequencing is vital, as some variants of Ewing’s sarcomas have poorer outcomes, require specific drugs, and prohibit the use of other drugs. The variant determines the treatment plan. Parents need to know the type of cancer their child is fighting- and if the hospital doesn’t know, parents should demand to have the tumor...
What is Big Data and Childhood Cancer Research
After being born and living in Turkey my whole life, I came to the US for college to study biological sciences at the University of Chicago. When the laboratory research internship I found for the summer of my first year was cancelled due to COVID-19, I joined a resume match program of my school’s Career Advancement Office, which matched students with employers based on experience and preferences. It was initially through this program that I matched with the Pediatric Cancer Data Commons...
What is an Astrocytoma?
An astrocytoma is a brain tumor that begins in astrocytes—a type of glial cell that supports nerve cells in the brain. Astrocytomas can be benign or malignant and typically occur in the brainstem, cerebellum, cerebrum, hypothalamus or optic nerves. Tumors that start in glial cells are called gliomas and are named for the specific kind of glial cell in which they originate: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes or ependymocytes. Astrocytomas are the most common form of gliomas found in...
What is Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH)?
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disorder in which the body produces an overabundance of Langerhans cells. These cells, which are also known as histiocytes, are a type of white blood cell that helps the immune system fight off infections. LCH causes too many of these cells to form, ultimately resulting in a buildup in the body. This accumulation of cells then damages organs, forms tumors, and otherwise disrupts normal tissue functions. According to the Histiocytosis Association,...
What Is an Independent Investigator Grant?
Independent Investigator Grants are awarded to principal investigators. Let’s begin by explaining the role of a principal investigator. Principal investigators are typically faculty members (e.g., professor, associate professor, assistant professor) who lead a research lab as an expert in their field. As the lab leader, they are responsible for developing the research agenda, designing research projects, securing funding (often through grants like Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer...