Lurie Children's Hospital has received $4 million from pediatric cancer foundation Cal's Angels to establish the Cal’s Angels Advanced Leukemia Clinical and Research Program.
It's a first-of-its-kind initiative in Chicago and one of only six programs in the nation that focuses on improving outcomes for children, adolescents and young adults battling high-risk, relapsed or refractory leukemia.
In a press release from Lurie, Dr. Jenna Rossoff, program director of the new initiative, said the new initiative program allows Lurie to "bring new hope to families facing the most challenging leukemia diagnoses" and that "by integrating cutting-edge science with compassionate care, we are creating a model for how to treat high-risk leukemia."
The program will bring together experts to offer access to new therapies and early-phase clinical trials and research, as well as multidisciplinary tumor boards and translational research in collaboration with researchers at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
It will also offer second opinions and telehealth for families across Illinois and beyond.
The Cal’s Angels Advanced Leukemia Clinical & Research Program will be housed within Lurie's Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders.