The Henry Schueler 41&9 Foundation continues to support research at the Mullighan Lab at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital which continues to drive the world’s leading research of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and related subtypes like Hypodiploid -ALL (H-ALL) which Henry was diagnosed with in 2006.
One area which has long challenged researchers has been the need for cell line models of many types of ALL to test possible drug response. While there are hundreds of cancer cell lines, including a couple of dozen of ALL, there are only two of H-ALL, and none of low hypodiploid ALL, the most common type of H-ALL that Hank had, and as we now know, one of the most common types of ALL beyond childhood.
We continue to fund a full-time clinical researcher, Pankaj Ghate, within the Mullighan lab who studies Hypodiploid ALL, and who has been working closely with Dr. Mullighan to try and overcome this challenge. They have been able to test about 70 samples, and generated over 40 new cell lines using a range of approaches, including multiple low hypodipoid ALL samples. They have utilized genomic testing to demonstrate that these are faithful models of the original H-ALL leukemia patient samples and performed initial drug testing and have observed encouraging signals of drug response including venetoclax.
We also continue to support the work of Dr. Thomas Walsh, the Henry Schueler Scholar on Mucormycosis, one of the world’s leading experts on infectious disease and specifically fungal infections like Mucormycosis which Hank contracted after his leukemia returned after his bone marrow transplant.
Dr. Walsh provides clinical expertise to patients worldwide who suffer from Mucormycosis and provides mentorship of the next generation of physicians and scientists who will continue his research. Our Foundation has funded the work of two of those promising scholars at Well-Cornell Medical Center and at the University of Maryland.
Your donation will continue to support this critical research and clinical outreach that our Foundation originated and continues to fund to help fulfill Hank’s vision to find out why this happened to him, so we can prevent it from happening to other kids.
Please consider donating to this cause via credit card by using the donation options to the right.
To donate via check: Please make your check payable to Henry Schueler 41 & 9 Foundation and mail to: 5424 W Devon Avenue PO Box 46316 Chicago, IL 60646-9998
Be sure to include Cycle for a Cure and my name in the memo section of your check so your donation can count towards my fundraising goal.
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