A new center at Phoenix Children’s Hospital will treat children with cancer that has been resistant to conventional treatments or is too rare to have known treatments.
The Ronald A. Matricaria Institute of Molecular Medicine will use whole-genome sequencing with the help of Translational Genomics Research Institute to get a unique profile of the child and the cancer. The research will be directed by Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen’s physician-in-chief.
The children will be treated with investigational cancer drugs or FDA-approved drugs.
The hospital has raised about $12 million for the institute so far with a goal of $50 million. The hope is to start treating patients in about a year at the institute, which will employ about 50 scientists and staff members.
For more information:
“Hospital aims to raise $50M to aid kids with cancer,” Arizona Republic, 12/04/2012
“Phoenix Children’s Hospital opens institute to help kids with cancer,” Phoenix Business Journal, 12/04/2012