A Father's Mission: How Danyelza Became a Life-Saving Therapy for Pediatric Neuroblastoma with Dr. Nai-Kong Cheung, Dr. Yashodhara Dash & Dr. Imke Ehlers-Surur

About this episode

This episode explores the development of Danyelza, a life-saving therapy for pediatric neuroblastoma, through the collaboration of researchers and a determined father.

Sometimes the most powerful innovations come from the most personal places. This episode tells the extraordinary story of Danyelza (naxitamab), a life-saving immunotherapy for children with neuroblastoma, and how it earned a finalist spot in the AUTM Better World Project. What makes this story truly remarkable isn't just the science, although that's impressive enough. It's the unlikely partnership between a researcher who refused to give up, a tech transfer team that believed in an "ultra-orphan" drug when no one else would, and a father who turned his desperation into determination by founding a company to bring this therapy to other children facing the same devastating diagnosis as his daughter. Joining me are three key figures from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who shepherded this breakthrough from lab bench to bedside: Dr. Nai-Kong Cheung, the Enid A. Haupt Chair in Pediatric Oncology and a world-renowned expert in antibody-based therapies for childhood cancers; Dr. Yashodhara Dash, Vice President of Entrepreneurship & Commercialization at MSK; and Dr. Imke Ehlers-Surur, Director of Technology Development & Licensing, who negotiated one of the most…

People in this episode

Guests: Dr Nai-Kong Cheung, Dr Imke Ehlers-Surur, Dr Yashodhara Dash

Topics covered

• pediatric neuroblastoma
• immunotherapy
• technology transfer
• entrepreneurship
• healthcare innovation

Keywords

• Danyelza
• naxitamab
• FDA approval
• rare pediatric disease

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Danyelza, Y-mAbs

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