Pediatric Cancer & Blood Disorders Research

Our multidisciplinary team of physician-scientists conducts various research projects through the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Lurie Children's to help promote patient care and better educate families. We hope our research efforts will improve treatment for children with hard-to-treat cancer and blood disorders. View additional information on research studies and researchers below.

Cancer Research

Clinical trials are studies, managed by government agencies, educational institutions, private not-for-profit organizations, or commercial businesses to develop, produce and evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments and therapies for diseases.

We participate in clinical trials sponsored by:

• Children's Oncology Group (COG), a National Cancer Institute-sponsored group formed by the merger of the Pediatric Oncology Group, the Children's Cancer Group, the National Wilm's Tumor Study Group and the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group    
• Children's Oncology Group (COG) Phase I Consortium    
• Institutional Trials    
• Industry trials (Pharmaceutical)    
• Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network (CERN)    
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC)    
• Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia (TACL)

Blood Disorder Research

We participate in numerous research studies of sickle cell disease and thalassemia, including:

• A multi-center natural history of iron overload study
• A multi-institutional, natural history study examining morbidity and risk factors for subsequent strokes in sickle cell disease    
• The Silent Infarct Transfusion Trial (SITT) to determine the benefit of chronic transfusion therapy in sickle cell patients with silent strokes    
• A randomized multi-center trial comparing hydroxyurea to chronic transfusions in preventing secondary strokes in sickle cell patients (SWiTCH)    
• Industry-sponsored, multi-institutional studies examining the safety and efficacy of a new iron chelator on transfusion related iron overload    
• Study screening for pulmonary hypertension and its effects in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease, a complication associated with a high risk of mortality in early adulthood    
• Translational research initiative in sickle cell disease to validate a computer-based pain and genetic profiling of markers for opioid responsiveness    
• Use of MRI for noninvasive iron assessments in thalassemia and sickle cell disease   
• Cardiopulmonary impairment in children with sickle cell disease and evaluation of exercise capacity in sickle cell disease    
• Program evaluating the utility of a multidisciplinary, educational approach to transitioning adolescents to an adult centered sickle cell program