2024 Year-in-Review

A poster for 2024 year in review for solving kids ' cancer

Advancing Childhood Cancer Research: SKC’s 2024 Milestones

Dear Friends and Supporters,


As we look back on 2024, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to every donor, volunteer, and partner who has stood with us. Because of you, Solving Kids’ Cancer has been able to push forward with groundbreaking research and open new doors to treatments for children facing the toughest cancers. Your support fuels our work and brings hope to families in their most difficult moments.


At Solving Kids’ Cancer, our mission goes beyond research — it’s about making sure children with cancer are at the forefront of every breakthrough. When so much competes for attention in the medical field, kids with rare cancers can sometimes be overlooked. We’re here to make sure they’re not left behind, focusing on research that leads to real solutions kids can access sooner. This year, we’ve seen exciting progress in immunotherapy, targeted treatments, and personalized care, bringing us closer to a future where more children can overcome cancer.

New Cancer Breakthroughs in Research

This year, Solving Kids’ Cancer made significant strides in childhood cancer research. Here are some highlights:

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  • Advancing Brain Tumor Research: With the help of our partners, we’ve made strides in treating high-risk brain tumors. Quarterly conferences brought top experts together, setting the stage for new clinical trials and treatments.
  • Solving Indolent Neuroblastoma: This project focuses on developing diagnostic tools and new childhood cancer treatments for slow-growing neuroblastoma. This year, we created a test for ALT biomarkers, established nine patient-derived neuroblastoma models, and identified PF-06821497 as a promising drug to enhance outcomes.
  • New Steps in Immunotherapy: We are working to make immunotherapy a stronger option for children with hard-to-treat cancers like medulloblastoma. This year’s research is expected to lead to clinical trials in 2025, moving these treatments closer to young patients.

Leadership in Collaboration and Advocacy

Collaboration is key at Solving Kids’ Cancer. We teamed up with global partners and made sure children’s needs were at the center of our efforts:

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  • Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Network (PBTRN): Partnering with Columbia University, we launched this network to connect researchers from around the world, aiming to speed up brain tumor treatments for children.
  • Advocating for High-Risk Brain Tumor Treatments: SKC joined the Pediatric Strategy Forum to push for new therapies for diffuse midline gliomas (DMG), advocating against placebo trials and for innovative childhood cancer treatments targeting SMARCA4 and GD2.
  • Shaping Clinical Trial Design: Our advocacy led the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) to make a landmark decision for trial ANBL2431, which will compare chemo-immunotherapy1 with a reduced transplant regimen. This decision highlights the growing role of patient advocacy in research and treatment protocols.

Our Research in the Spotlight

Solving Kids’ Cancer’s research contributions reached new heights this year through key publications and media features

A magnifying glass is looking at a stack of papers and a graph.
  • FDA Approval of IWILFIN: After 15 years of effort, we celebrated the FDA’s approval of IWILFIN, a neuroblastoma maintenance therapy. This approval shows the power of long-term advocacy and partnership.
  • Innovative GD2BATs Immunotherapy Trial: We shared results from a clinical trial using GD2BATs2 — an immunotherapy that equips T cells with antibodies to target cancer cells in neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma. The study showed this approach is safe and effective, bringing new hope to families facing these tough cancers.
  • Influencing Future Clinical Trials: Our published paper, “To transplant, or not to transplant? That is the question,”3 offered vital insights on using autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in high-risk neuroblastoma. By examining evidence and parent views, we encouraged new patient-centered approaches.

Events That Brought Us Together

From fundraising events to community gatherings, we connected with our community throughout the year:

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  • Comedy Fights Kids’ Cancer: Hosted by comedian Seth Herzog, this event gave our supporters a night of laughter while raising vital funds for our work.
  • Summer Luncheon in the Hamptons: Our eighth annual luncheon gathered advocates and donors to celebrate our progress and rally even more backing for research.
  • That’s Good Sports Fundraiser: This live-streamed fundraising event during the Broncos vs. Saints game brought sports fans together in a fun way to fuel childhood cancer research.


Thanks to the incredible commitment of our community, these events reinforced our mission to build a world where no child faces cancer alone.

Keep Advancing Childhood Cancer Research with Us

Each child battling cancer deserves a real chance at a cure, and every new discovery brings us one step closer. Your support helps launch new treatments, brings together experts to find solutions, and offers hope to families facing the toughest challenges.


This holiday season, your gift can directly impact these children and families. There’s still so much more to be done, and every dollar will help drive new cancer breakthroughs forward, advancing life-saving work that gives kids the chance they deserve.

MAKE YOUR TAX-DEDUCTABIBLE GIFT TODAY!

Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support is making a difference, one child at a time.


With deep gratitude,

A black and white signature of scott on a white background.

Scott Kennedy

Executive Director & Co-Founder

Solving Kids’ Cancer

Sources

  1. National Library of Medicine – Chemotherapy: A New Trend in Cancer Treatment https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10252089/
  2. National Library of Medicine – Targeting refractory/recurrent neuroblastoma and osteosarcoma with anti-CD3xanti-GD2 bispecific antibody armed T cells https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38519053/
  3. National Library of Medicine – To transplant, or not to transplant? That is the question. A patient advocate evaluation of autologous stem cell transplant in neuroblastoma https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35373890/

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Ahana’s Story of Strength

By duda • November 20, 2024
Ahana’s Story of Strength with High-Risk Neuroblastoma Every day, over 1,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with cancer,1 and for many families, that diagnosis means facing an uncertain future. At just 20 months old, Ahana was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer that had already spread through her small body. Her family’s search for life-saving childhood cancer treatments led them from South Africa to Spain and possibly toward a clinical trial in New York. Ahana’s journey shows the importance of supporting organizations like Solving Kids’ Cancer, which works to find, fund, and advocate for advanced treatments that give hope to families fighting against tough-to-treat rare pediatric cancers.
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2024 Lace Up for Kids Recap

October 1, 2024
Lace Up for Kids: Your Impact on Childhood Cancer Research At Solving Kids’ Cancer, our mission has always been driven by hope — hope for better treatments, hope for breakthroughs, and most importantly, hope for every child fighting cancer. This year’s Lace Up for Kids campaign was nothing short of inspiring. Together, we’ve raised over $264,000 across the entire campaign, funding innovative childhood cancer research and providing more treatment options for children in need.  From coast to coast, nearly 4,000 participants have stepped up to lace up their gold shoelaces and make a difference. Whether it was through schools, sports teams, or community groups, the show of support has been overwhelming throughout the years. Over 7,823 donations have been made to accelerate new treatments, and the hashtag #CareWearShare has been used 13,864 times, spreading the message far and wide!
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Stories of Impact: Erin Martin

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A group of children are standing in a circle with their shoes on the floor.

Smithtown Goes Gold for Childhood Cancer

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Osteosarcoma Survivor Dr. Kurt Weiss

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A Quick Guide to Your Role as a Parent Advocate

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Jacob 's journey : a childhood cancer survivor 's story

National Cancer Survivors Month

May 10, 2024
Jacob’s Journey: A Childhood Cancer Survivor’s Story Every battle has its heroes, and among the bravest are young children like Jacob Mozer, who faced stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma when he was barely old enough to walk. Diagnosed at only 16 months old, Jacob’s early years were filled with constant medical appointments and intense treatments. Despite these challenges, today, Jacob is a shining example of the remarkable progress in pediatric oncology. He’s not merely surviving; he’s thriving as a pharmacy resident, driven to give back to the medical community that gave him a second chance at life. During National Cancer Survivors Month this June, we honor and celebrate fighters like Jacob who have battled cancer and emerged stronger. This month also serves to amplify the conversation about pediatric cancer survivorship and push for vital research that continues to save lives. Solving Kids’ Cancer (SKC) plays an essential role in this effort, supporting children like Jacob by funding crucial clinical trials that enhance survival rates and improve the quality of life for those fighting fatal childhood cancers.
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Trailblazing Treatments for Pediatric Brain Tumors

May 2, 2024
Trailblazing Treatments for Pediatric Brain Tumors Picture a fortress built to guard precious treasure but accidentally also keeps out the very allies it needs in a time of crisis. This is the challenge faced by medical researchers when dealing with the brain’s natural defense — the blood-brain barrier — especially in children with brain tumors. At Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Luca Szalontay is leading the charge to breach this fortress with groundbreaking approaches. Recently, Dr. Timothy Cripe from Solving Kids’ Cancer’s podcast, This Week in Pediatric Oncology (TWIPO) , interviewed Dr. Szalontay to delve deeper into these innovative treatments. This Brain Tumor Awareness Month, we’re shining a light on these important advances in treating children’s cancer. Understanding the Challenge Treating pediatric brain tumors like diffuse midline glioma (DMG) is especially tough because of the brain’s own protective shield, known as the blood-brain barrier. This barrier keeps out most chemotherapy drugs as well as large molecules, like antibodies, making it hard to treat the tumors effectively. Dr. Szalontay describes the dilemma: “Our field hasn’t been able to advance as quickly as it has with leukemias or other solid tumors because the drugs don’t penetrate the brain efficiently.” She adds on the nature of this blood-brain barrier, “It’s evolutionary, very important to protect us from different toxins and harmful agents, but this is a shield which protects the tumor as well.” Even when drugs work well in lab tests, they struggle to get to the tumor in strong enough doses without harming the body. Dr. Szalontay also points out that DMG tumors are found in very sensitive areas of the brain, making traditional surgery or radiation risky because they could damage vital brain functions. This makes finding safe and effective treatments for these tumors even more challenging. So, what’s being done to tackle these obstacles and help kids fight these tumors?
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