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Hematology, Oncology and
Bone Marrow Transplantation
Research
The Children’s Hospital Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD) includes 23 MD or MD/PhD and one PhD faculty members with a variety of interests in clinical, translational (“bench to bedside”), and laboratory research. Faculty members published over 157 scientific articles between 2006-2008 and have grant funding from major national agencies including the NIH, National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the CDC, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Major areas of clinical research focus include trials for children with all types of cancer, development of new cancer therapies (Experimental Therapeutics Program), sickle cell anemia, hemophilia and clotting disorders, and studies of different modes of bone marrow transplantation.
Translational and basic laboratory research programs include studies of leukemia and brain tumor biology and genetics, development of new molecularly targeted therapies for various types of cancer, genetic studies of Von Willebrand disease and other bleeding disorders, white blood cell function, and studies that seek to understand why reactions occur to blood transfusions.
Faculty members of the CCBD include internationally recognized leaders in research in Hemophilia (Dr. Marilyn Manco-Johnson), white blood cell function (Dr. Daniel Ambruso), transfusion reactions (Dr. Christopher Silliman), and leukemia biology and treatment (Dr. Stephen Hunger).
Faculty Research Interests
Dr. Edythe Albano studies supportive care and management of infections in children and adolescents with cancer.
Dr. Daniel Ambruso investigates mechanisms regulating bactericidal activity of human neutrophils and monocytes. He also studies neutrophil function in thermal injury/trauma, chronic granulomatous disease, platelet activating factor generation in stored blood components, and immune-related blood disorders.
Dr. Deborah DeRyckere directs the laboratory component of the Pediatric Experimental Therapeutics Program that is focused on development of new treatments for children and adolescents with cancer that failed current therapies. Major research efforts are directed at developing preclinical models for leukemia and using novel imaging techniques to image cancers and assess treatment response.
Dr. Jorge DiPaola is engaged in research related to Von Willebrand disease, hemophilia, and other bleeding disorders. His lab uses large scale genetic studies to identify genes that influence blood cell numbers and those that are mutated in bleeding disorders.
Dr. Nicholas Foreman directs an active clinical and laboratory research program focused on pediatric brain tumors. Major components of his research program include clinical trials for children with relapsed and refractory brain tumors and lab studies of the genetics of pediatric glial tumors that are designed to help develop new therapies.
Dr. Timothy Garrington is interested in clinical research of bone tumors. He has a major interest in medical education and research on methods to improve teaching of medical students and physicians. Dr. Garrington is a Course Director in the Medical School and also directs the CCBD Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Training Program.
Dr. Roger Giller is engaged in clinical research in germ cell tumors and in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). He directs clinical trials that seek to define the role of HSCT for treatment of children and adolescents with cancer and nonmalignant disorders.
Dr. Neil Goldenberg studies blood clotting and thrombotic disorders. He developed and is Co-Director of the Colorado Pediatric Stroke Program at The Children’s Hospital, a unique multidisciplinary program based both in the CCBD and the Child Neurology Section.
Dr. Lia Gore founded and directs the CCBD Pediatric Experimental Therapeutics Program (ETP) that is dedicated to development and clinical testing of new treatments for children and adolescents with cancer that failed current therapies. Dr. Gore was co-founder of the Pediatric Experimental Therapeutics Investigator Consortium (POETIC) that includes nine major pediatric oncology programs from the U.S. and Canada. She also is a member of the adult ETP at University of Colorado Hospital and participates in clinical research in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) through the Children’s Oncology Group (COG).
Dr. Douglas Graham directs a research lab that studies the MER family of receptor tyrosine kinases and how members of this family are involved in development of cancer and clotting disorders. His lab has shown that interfering with the function of MER proteins can potentiate chemotherapy in leukemia and brain tumors and is developing new therapies directed at MER. Dr. Graham is also the Co-Principal Investigator of our NIH-funded T32 grant to train pediatric cancer researchers.
Dr. Brian Greffe has a research focus on survivorship and the late effects of cancer treatment. He is also board certified in palliative care and engages in research related to pediatric palliative and hospice care.
Dr. Taru Hays is engaged in research studies in pediatric blood disorders. She is the co-author of a new textbook on pediatric blood cell morphology.
Dr. Stephen Hunger is an internationally recognized expert in leukemia genetics and the treatment of childhood ALL. Dr. Hunger serves as Chair of the COG ALL Disease Committee, which is responsible for the design and conduct of clinical trials and linked laboratory research studies that include over 70% of U.S. and Canadian children with ALL. He is also the Principal Investigator of our NIH-funded T32 grant to train pediatric cancer researchers.
Dr. Amy Keating studies the role of the MER family of receptor tyrosine kinases in brain tumors and leukemia. She is developing new brain tumor therapies that are directed at MER proteins.
Dr. Margaret Macy is engaged in clinical and laboratory research that link the CCBD ETP and neuro-oncology programs. Her laboratory research is focused on developing therapies that target epigenetic modifications in tumors, while her clinical research is designed to test new therapies for children and adolescents with brain tumors that have failed conventional treatments.
Dr. Kelly Maloney is a leader in clinical trials for childhood ALL. She is Co-Chair of the COG clinical trial for children with standard risk ALL that will enroll about 4,000 U.S. and Canadian children with this disease. She also directs the CCBD Clinical Trials Support Unit.
Dr. Marilyn Manco-Johnson is an international leader in research on pediatric hemostasis and thrombosis. She is Director of the UCD Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center and directs a wide variety of research studies designed to define optimal treatments for children with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. Her work on prophylactic use of clotting factor concentrates has revolutionized the treatment of children with severe hemophilia.
Dr. Rachelle Nuss directs the Pediatric Sickle Cell Program through the UCD Sickle Cell Treatment and Research Center. Her research is focused on optimizing treatment for children with sickle cell anemia and includes collaborative studies with Dr. Silliman on the role of neutrophils in acute chest syndrome of sickle cell disease.
Dr. Christopher Porter has a research program focused on identifying new drugs to overcome treatment resistance in acute myeloid leukemia and developing new techniques for use in gene therapy.
Dr. Ralph Quinones directs the Stem Cell Processing Lab at TCH and also serves as the Medical Director of the University of Colorado Umbilical Cord Blood Bank. He is engaged in clinical trials of HSCT in children and in research concerning novel methods of graft engineering.
Dr. Rajeev Vibhakar directs a research laboratory that studies micro RNA function in pediatric brain tumors and the genetics of medulloblastoma.
Dr. Michael Wang has a research interest in lymphomas and the role of viruses in human cancer. He is now developing a research program on the immunological aspects of coagulation disorders, including inhibitor development in hemophilia and the biology of catastrophic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.
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