Six decades of innovative milestones in research and care at St. Jude

The history of innovation at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is marked by bold inquiry and groundbreaking discoveries that continue to make a difference for children with catastrophic diseases. We're reflecting on some of our milestone innovations in research and care over the past six decades that have advanced the areas of pediatric leukemias, sickle cell disease, HIV, radiation oncology, and cancer genomics.

A backbone of pediatric leukemia milestones with Hiroto Inaba, MD, PhD

Since St. Jude opened in 1962, we have been dedicated to the research and the care of pediatric leukemias. One of the most transformative findings, which still forms the backbone of acute lymphoblastic leukemia care today is the Total Therapy approach. This approach helped to pioneer combination chemotherapy using multiple drugs at once to treat patients' cancer. Many advances have shaped the field since then, including the identification of genetic subtypes, tailoring treatments to decrease side effects, and developing new immunotherapeutic treatments.

A continued legacy of sickle cell disease research and care with Jane Hankins, MD

A major innovation in the care of sickle cell disease occurred in 1983 when the first patient with sickle cell disease was cured with a bone marrow transplant. That cure was the result of decades of research at St. Jude that began in the 1960s and grew to comprise major collaborative research efforts, such as the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease and the Sickle Cell Clinical Research and Intervention Program, or SCCRIP. Recently, St. Jude-led discoveries in genetic-based editing show promise as an innovative, potential new treatment for sickle cell disease. And beyond treatment, our approach to community research and education makes us a national model for sickle cell education programs that empower patients.

Prioritizing community in HIV research and care with Aditya Gaur, MD

Research and care for children and youth living with HIV/AIDS began at St. Jude in 1987 when our founder, Danny Thomas, declared AIDS a catastrophic disease of children. Since then, we have been a globally recognized center for the treatment and prevention of HIV in children and youth. Through critical partnerships with local community resources in Memphis and participation in multi-center clinical trial networks, we contribute to clinical research that assesses safe and effective treatment and prevention methods with the goal of ending the HIV epidemic.

Investing in the future of pediatric radiation oncology with Thomas Merchant, DO, PhD

St. Jude is a pioneer in radiation therapy to treat childhood cancer. In 1995, we acquired specialized software and were the first to incorporate computer-based 3D radiation therapy into clinical trials for the treatment of pediatric patients with brain and solid tumors. In 2015, we opened the world's first proton therapy center dedicated solely to the treatment of children with cancer. Investment in innovative technology has allowed us to conduct research that assesses the safety and efficacy of newer methods and design treatment guidelines for pediatric cancer patients everywhere.

A new era of milestones in cancer genomics with Charlie Roberts, MD, PhD

When it launched in 2010, the St. Jude - Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project was the most comprehensive effort to sequence pediatric cancer genomes. St. Jude has gone on to freely share the largest repository of pediatric cancer genomics data, expand the use of genetic screening for clinical care, and better understand cancer predisposition. In partnership with the Broad Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we have created the Pediatric Cancer Dependencies Accelerator. This is the largest academic collaboration dedicated to finding and targeting genomic vulnerabilities in children with cancer. With resources dedicated to further uncovering the genetic underpinnings of pediatric cancer, to creating new models and identifying and pursuing new therapeutic opportunities, our work propels us into the next generation of research.