New Advanced Leukemia Clinical and Research Program

The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago recently established the Cal’s Angels Advanced Leukemia Clinical and Research Program — a first-of-its-kind initiative in Chicago and one of only a few programs in the nation aimed at improving outcomes for children, adolescents and young adults battling high-risk, relapsed, or refractory leukemia.

The new comprehensive, multidisciplinary program delivers innovative therapies, expands clinical trial access and accelerates groundbreaking leukemia research. It was made possible with a $4 million gift from Cal’s Angels, a pediatric cancer foundation dedicated to granting wishes, raising awareness and funding research. 

“This extraordinary gift allows us to bring new hope to families facing the most challenging leukemia diagnoses,” said Jenna Rossoff, MD, Program Director of the new Cal’s Angels Advanced Leukemia Clinical and Research Program. “By integrating cutting-edge science with compassionate care, we are creating a model for how to treat high-risk leukemia.”

The program brings together experts in oncology, molecular diagnostics, stem cell transplant, and cellular therapy to offer:

• Access to novel therapies and early-phase clinical trials, including options unavailable elsewhere in the region.
• Multidisciplinary tumor boards, where each case is reviewed by hematopathologists, oncologists, researchers, and trial coordinators to ensure individualized treatment plans.
• Translational research focused on identifying new drug targets and overcoming resistance mechanisms in aggressive leukemias.
• Second-opinion and telehealth services, supporting families across Illinois and beyond with complex care coordination.

“This program reflects our deepest commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in pediatric leukemia at Lurie Children’s so children and families can stay close to home when faced with these difficult diagnoses,” said Sara Zarnegar-Lumley, MD, Operational Lead of the program. “It’s about bringing new options to the table for families who have run out of standard treatments.”

The research component of the program includes partnership with Loretta Li, MD, and her translational research laboratory at Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Lurie Children’s. Her work is focused on identifying new therapeutic targets, developing preclinical models of disease, and validating the preclinical efficacy of novel treatments in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Cal's Angels funding also supports the research of Xiaopei “Lily” Zeng, MD. Her work aims to understand how B-ALL evades targeted immunotherapy including CD19 CAR-T cell therapy.

To make advanced treatments accessible earlier and more equitably, the Cal’s Angels Advanced Leukemia Clinical and Research Program also collaborates with national clinical trial consortia, including the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and the Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network (PEP-CTN).