42. The First CKc Grant That Sparked a Revolution in Childhood Cancer Research
About this episode
This episode celebrates a decade of impact in childhood cancer research through the story of the first CKc grant and its effects on pediatric brain cancer immunotherapy.
Game Over: c*ncer really lives up to its name in this one. In this special episode, we celebrate 10 years of impact with the very first researcher Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation (CKc) ever funded, Dr. Ted Johnson. Dr. Johnson is a professor of pediatric oncology and co-director of the Pediatric Immunotherapy Program at Augusta University, a destination program for children with brain cancer who have run out of standard options. Val Solomon and Dana Nichols sit down with him to talk about how one early CKc grant helped launch a decade of progress in pediatric brain cancer immunotherapy, from saving and studying monthly blood samples to building a powerful biological sample bank that is now changing what is possible for kids. You will hear how a “leap of faith” investment became the spark behind clinical trials that have now provided experimental immunotherapy to more than 270 children and young adults from over 30 states. Dr. Johnson explains how indoximod-based immunotherapy works, why activating a child’s immune system is so rare and so important, and how small donations, bake sales, and grassroots philanthropy truly keep this work alive. The conversation also pulls back the…
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