The St. Baldrick's Foundation in Monrovia, California, has announced grants totaling $21.2 million in support of pediatric cancer research.

Seventy grants were awarded to researchers and organizations in forty-eight states and eleven countries, including $6.7 million to the Children's Oncology Group, whose member institutions treat more than 90 percent of children with cancer in the United States. The latest grant boosts to more than $60 million the foundation's total support for COG since 2005. Other grant recipients include Kathleen Sakamoto (Stanford University), whose research is focused on ways to block the protein RSK as a new approach to treating acute myeloid leukemia; Birgit Knoechel (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), who is investigating the epigenetic state changes responsible for drug resistance in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients; and Jaebok Choi (Washington University in St. Louis), who aims to identify the mechanism underlying the actions of a gene called interferon gamma receptor to develop safe and efficient therapeutic strategies.

"This funding would not be possible without the hard work of each volunteer, the bravery of our 'shaves', and the generosity of our donors," said St. Baldrick's Foundation CEO Kathleen Ruddy. "This is a crucial time in the pediatric cancer community, with new discoveries on the horizon but limited funding to pursue scientific opportunities. St. Baldrick's is honored to fund these remarkable projects that are led by the brightest minds in the field, so that all kids will have a chance to live long, healthy lives."