September 2019 | $225,000 given

John Perry, PhD is a pediatric cancer survivor, a faculty member of the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Perry’s research uses low doses of a common chemotherapy drug, Doxorubicin, to kill therapy-resistant leukemia stem cells and create an anti-cancer immune response, effectively immunizing children against cancer recurrence. The project is supported by preliminary data and seeks to help children avoid the serious and life-long side effects of traditional chemotherapy. These side effects result in 80% of long-term pediatric cancer survivors having one or more disabling or life-threatening health conditions by age 45. Secondary cancers unrelated to the original malignancy can also occur, and 20% of pediatric cancer patients do not survive long-term. Through financial support from Noah’s Bandage Project, Dr. Perry’s research will hopefully lead to less toxic treatments for children that provide long-term health benefits.

April 2018 | $100,000 given

With the first $100,000 grant towards this pledge, NBP was proud to support the work of Children’s Mercy Hospital. Dr. Erin Guest is a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Mercy Kansas City and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City. She was Noah’s Oncologist. Her research focuses on improving survival for infants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Dr. Guest is leading a research team in the Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine at Children’s Mercy. The team is looking for markers in the DNA and patterns of gene expression that help explain why infant ALL is so difficult to cure. Less than half of infants with ALL survive and clinical trials that have added more chemotherapy have resulted in more side effects, but have not improved the cure rate. Dr. Guest and her team are taking the information they learn from the genomes of leukemia samples from infants to test new treatments in the lab. The funds from Noah’s Bandage Project are funding this testing, as well as genomic sequencing studies both before and after the leukemia cells are treated. The hope is that the research will identify promising treatments that can then be tested in clinical trials.

November 2017 | $100,000 given

This is the 2nd research grant supplied by Noah’s Bandage Project to Dr. Glen Samuel at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. In this study, Dr. Samuel and his team are investigating improvements to the therapeutic options available for pediatric patients diagnosed with recurrent and/or progressive Ewings Sarcoma and Osetosarcoma (bone cancers). Specifically, they are focusing in on the Kinesin motor proteins KIF11, KIF15 and TPX2, which are key contributors to Mitosis (the process by which a single cancer cell divides to become two). They are going to be testing four (4) compounds, in correlation with the KIF11 inhibitor, Ispinesib, that will identify the specific compound that inhibits these Kinesin motor proteins and ultimately results in cancer cell death. This will allow for complete tumor cell death and/or stall tumor growth thereby increasing the ability to have better localized treatment (surgical resection +/- radiotherapy) in progressive or recurrent Ewing sarcoma and Osteosarcoma patients.

August 2016 | $100,000 given

As a result of your generous contributions, Noah’s Bandage Project delivered its first research grant to Children’s Mercy Hospital! This grant of $100,000 was personally delivered to Dr. Glen Samuel in August of 2016. Dr. Samuel is conducting research in Ewing’s Sarcoma (the type of cancer that Noah beat), specifically looking at biomarkers in the blood that are generated from the tumor. He categorizes patterns that will help identify the progression or regression of the tumor itself. Once successful, this will help reduce the need for ongoing scans which expose children to harmful radiation impacts. This also helps doctors more closely follow the success of ongoing treatments much faster, resulting in saving more lives!