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For years, the San Luis Obispo–based nonprofit End Kids Cancer has supported researchers who are pursuing one of the oldest questions in medicine: Why do some patients respond well to treatments while others—given the same care—do not?
In 2018, End Kids Cancer provided funding for a groundbreaking vaccine clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering designed to reduce relapses in children battling high-risk neuroblastoma. One of the most lethal childhood cancers, high-risk neuroblastoma has a five-year survival rate of just 50%. Led by Dr. Brian Kushner and Dr. Shakeel Modak, the trial has shown remarkable promise, including a 30–40% reduction in relapse among second relapse children.
But doctors wanted to understand why the vaccine wasn’t working for every child. The answer lay in the human microbiome—the trillions of microorganisms that live in our gut – which plays an essential role in immunity, metabolism, brain development, cancer susceptibility, and overall lifelong health.
Our bodies contain about 37 trillion human cells, and nearly 100 trillion microbial cells—some of which shape how well the immune system fights cancer.
Dr. Oriana Miltiadous, a young physician and scientist, led numerous studies, hoping to discover which microbes help the immune system respond to the vaccine—and which microbes hinder it. We started supporting her work in 2019.
By comparing stool samples from children who responded well to the vaccine with those who did not, she identified two microbes that boost immune response and help the vaccine kill cancer cells, and one that undermines the immune system and reduces vaccine efficacy.
Her discovery led to a bold question: Could a fecal transplant from a child who responds well to treatment help one who is predicted to respond poorly? One approach is to take fecal matter from a patient who responded well to treatment, process and freeze it in a capsule, and then give it to another patient expected to respond poorly. This method was used successfully at MD Anderson for an adult with advanced stomach cancer who had very little time to live — and it worked. This is the next step.
Dr. Miltiadous has received worldwide recognition for her incredible work. I first met her through Dr. Modak, who serves on our medical advisory board. A couple of weeks ago, we had a very moving meeting over Zoom.
“End Kids Cancer was the first foundation to fund my work,” she told me. “Your support allowed this research to begin.”
It was our donors, of course, who deserve the credit. Without them, none of this would be possible.
About End Kids Cancer:
End Kids Cancer, based in San Luis Obispo, has been raising money to fight pediatric cancer for 15 years, yet the founder has been battling pediatric cancer for more than 25 years. The foundation created the widely respected Cancer Navigation Guide, designed to help parents quickly understand the best options when their child is diagnosed with cancer. Alongside supporting the development of new, effective pediatric cancer treatments, End Kids Cancer is now expanding into prevention—asking an essential question: Why don’t we help families avoid toxic exposures that increase cancer risk in the first place? This work has earned the foundation an invitation to the White House Cancer Moonshot Summit, recognizing its leadership in pediatric cancer research, navigation, and prevention.
Frank Kalman, Executive Director
End Kids Cancer
805-550-7682
Email: Frank@EndKidsCancer.org
