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| Photo credit: Denise McGill, Children's of Alabama |
The UAB Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Children’s of Alabama has been awarded a $250,000 Hyundai Hope on Wheels grant to support the research of assistant professor Joseph Chewning, M.D. The grant, presented last week in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, will focus on minimizing the harmful side effects of stem cell transplantation in treating leukemia in children.
Acute leukemia remains the most common form of childhood cancer. Significant advances in basic and clinical research have improved survival rates, but many children still experience disease relapse. Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is an important therapeutic option for children with high-risk or relapsed leukemia.
“Our studies are focused on the development of specific cellular therapies to augment the anti-leukemia effect of transplant,” says Chewning, an associate scientist at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. “This Hyundai Hope on Wheels grant will enable our work to continue in the pursuit of novel therapies for children diagnosed with leukemia.”
Hyundai Hope on Wheels is a united effort of Hyundai Motor America and its more than 800 dealers to raise awareness about childhood cancer and celebrate the lives of children battling the disease. The group primarily funds nonprofit children’s hospitals across the United States for pediatric cancer research and strives to build public awareness about the importance of this cause.