Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation commits $3 million to the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium to advance pediatric cancer research
Penn State College of Medicine has announced a $3 million philanthropic commitment from the Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation to support the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium at the College and partnering Consortium hospitals across the world.
The funding will support Research Consortium infrastructure to advance new and ongoing clinical trials and enhance critical collaborations, advancing safer, more effective and more personalized treatments for children diagnosed with cancer.
While separate organizations, the Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation and the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium share a common commitment: improving outcomes and quality of life for children with cancer through innovative, informed research.
Founded and led by parents seeking better options for children facing cancer, the Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating progress through targeted research, clinical trial support and child-informed treatment strategies. Since 2010, the Foundation has worked with the Research Consortium as well as partnering foundations nationwide to help guide investments in precision medicine and research approaches that reflect the real-world needs of children and survivors.
“This commitment reflects the voices of parents and advocates who know firsthand how urgently children need better options,” said Sarah Bartosz, executive director of the Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation. “By supporting the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium, we are helping ensure innovative clinical trials reach every child, everywhere. For us, hope is not just a word, it is an action.”
Headquartered at Penn State College of Medicine, the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium is an international clinical trials network of more than 55 children’s hospitals and research institutions across the globe including North America, Europe and South America. The Consortium manages multi-site pediatric cancer clinical trials from concept through completion, providing children with access to novel therapies not otherwise available. This model allows children to access promising therapies closer to home, reducing barriers for families while accelerating the pace of research.
To date, the Consortium has opened more than 28 clinical trials, including new cutting-edge and molecular-guided therapies for children with high-risk, relapsed or refractory solid tumors. In neuroblastoma, a bold idea and preclinical data became a clinical trial that ultimately led to an FDA‑approved therapy, IWILFIN (DFMO), now changing outcomes for children. This is a model the Consortium is determined to bring to pediatric brain tumors, sarcomas and other rare pediatric cancers with very few other options.
“Investing in pediatric oncology requires real courage,” said Giselle Saulnier Sholler, MD, MSc, chair and founder of the BCC Research Consortium at Penn State College of Medicine. “Pediatric populations are small and regulatory pathways are complex. We are deeply grateful for partners like the Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation who choose to stand with children and families and champion the therapies these patients urgently need.”
“This commitment underscores the power of strategic partnership in advancing pediatric cancer research,” said Karen Kim, MD, MS, dean of Penn State College of Medicine. “At the College of Medicine, we are committed to translating scientific discovery into clinical impact; by aligning philanthropic leadership with a proven clinical trials infrastructure, we are accelerating discoveries that can change the standard of care for children worldwide.”
Together, the Beat Childhood Cancer Foundation and the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium represent a unified effort to expand access to precision medicine, prevent relapse and advance innovative therapies for children with cancer. This $3 million commitment will help ensure continued progress toward alternative treatments and, ultimately, cures.
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