Funded by the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund
Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (ICT) is a form of cancer therapy that boosts the immune system to kill cancer cells. ICT can help cure some adult cancers but has not been effective in children with cancer. This proposal explores whether a combination of standard cancer therapy and ICT is both safe and effective in children with solid tumors in a clinical trial. First, we will test tumor, blood, and stool samples collected from patients in this clinical trial. We will attempt to learn what factors determine whether a patient will respond to this combination therapy or not respond. Second, we will use mouse cancer models to test different combinations of standard cancer therapy and ICT to see which combinations work the best. This work will help us understand if combining standard cancer treatments with ICT is both safe and effective in children with solid tumors.
