DEDICATED TO FIGHTING CHILDHOOD CANCER

The POETIC Foundation’s efforts are dedicated to the mission of increasing the availability of new and precise therapies for pediatric cancer patients. We focus on areas of interest that make the most impact in pediatric cancer research.

Biology Program

The POETIC Biology Program is designed to increase access to potentially curative therapies and improve outcomes for children with the worst prognosis through precision medicine.

The program aims to sample, analyze, and store tumors from children around the world in order to better understand cancer in children and the influence that the child’s background has on their cancer and potential outcome.

The program aims to bank patients’ specimen and use liquid biopsies, single cells and exosomes to identify patients’ unique genetic causes of their cancer and how to treat them. Genetic testing will allow for personalized treatment by identifying drivers of cancer to target specific mutations found in the patient’s tumor. This knowledge will also lead to potential treatments for future patients who have similar mutations. Banking of samples will allow for future testing with novel platforms to inform on new targeted and immunotherapy approaches to treat cancer.

Jessie Stuart Award for Excellence in Research

The Foundation created the Young Investigator Abstracts Initiative which provides training grants for pediatric oncology fellows and graduate students.

The Jessie Stuart Award for Excellence in Research is granted to a junior investigator whose research exhibits the highest level of excellence in the following categories: Strength of Science; Research Design; Collaboration; and Relevance.

PROVIDING EARLY ACCESS TO POTENTIALLY CURATIVE THERAPIES

POETIC diverse Clinical Research portfolio include innovative early phase trial design, targeting broad spectrum of cancers, precision medicine utilizing patient specific biomarker testing and enhancing the quality of Life for children with advanced cancer.

Since POETIC’s inception, two first-in-child clinical trials have been conducted increasing early access to novel molecularly targeted agents for treatment of children and adolescents with refractory malignancies after completion of adult Phase I studies. One of the studies resulted in evidence of clinical benefit in patients with tumors of the central nervous system using a novel agent targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor, cetuximab. These findings have provided the scientific rationale for a Phase II study targeting high grade central nervous system tumors, which is on-going.

PROVIDING ACCESS TO QUALITY CANCER CARE WORLDWIDE

We sponsor various cancer fighting efforts in hopes to provide quality cancer care to underserved children worldwide.

Children’s cancer research centers

The POETIC Foundation has secured seed donations for the creation of the Pediatric International Cancer Research Centre in Ghana. This center will enhance the opportunity for a pediatric cancer cure for children in developing nations.

This state-of-art pediatric cancer center possess cutting-edge innovations in architecture, patient care, infrastructure, and sustainability.

Cancer Genome Project Ghana

The POETIC Foundation has helped support education and training in cancer genomic analysis by partnering with Cancer Genome Project Ghana. Conferences are held worldwide in order to accelerate the application of genomics technology by increasing the knowledge of cancer biology and the capacity for future precision-based treatment approaches for patients suffering from cancer in Ghana and West Africa.