Children's Hospital Colorado

Research at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders

At the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, discoveries from our laboratories are changing the way care is delivered in the fields of pediatric hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplantation. Our researchers are national leaders in basic and clinical science research. They regularly make and contribute to new discoveries that help new treatments go from lab to bedside.

What our cancer and blood disorder research means for kids

Our physicians, nurses and laboratory researchers are committed to delivering the best possible treatments for kids with pediatric cancers and blood disorders. We’re trailblazers in using clinical trials to develop new therapies for all types of cancer, advance bone marrow transplantation and innovate cell therapy techniques.

At the forefront of research, physicians at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders have various interests in clinical, translational and laboratory research. A few of these interests include analyzing sickle cell disease, hemophilia and clotting disorders, immunotherapy, pediatric leukemia and the interplay of genetics and various types of cancer.

"Treatment for autoimmune diseases involves manipulating the same cells we're manipulating for cancer treatment."

Portrait of Dr. Terry Fry, a man in a collared shirt and glasses. -TERRY J. FRY, MD

Oncology and hematology advancements

We believe that state-of-the-art treatment for pediatric cancer and blood disorders should include enrollment in a clinical trial if available for that patient. In fact, research shows that children who participate in clinical trials have better survival rates than children who don’t. That’s why our research includes many clinical trials, but it doesn’t stop there.

We’re leaders in finding new cures and better cancer treatments. Historically, treatments for kids with sickle cell disease have been limited due to the need for a well-matched, related bone marrow donor. But our researchers have been pivotal in exploring gene therapy with two newly-approved therapies, allowing for use of the patient’s own altered cells instead of a donor. This greatly reduces complications and side effects, and it's curative.

Our researchers are determined to not only treat cancer but ensure that kids remain free of cancer. Although children with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B-ALL) have a survival rate of more than 90%, there’s a subset of patients who either relapse or don’t respond to chemotherapy. Our leukemia, bone marrow transplant and cell therapy physicians are leading research to improve these outcomes, specifically with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy and new targeted drugs. That means giving kids other treatment options when conventional treatments aren’t enough.

We’re revolutionary in our approach to many conditions. Clinical research by the team at our Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center changed the game for the care of children with hemophilia — transitioning the focus from treatment to prevention of life-threatening and debilitating bleeding episodes by administering clotting factors at home. Our hematology researchers also identified the gene that causes grey platelet syndrome, creating the foundation of care for newly-diagnosed patients.

Our physicians and laboratory researchers are trailblazers. We collaborate to discover new genes important in cancer, and using this knowledge, identified new targets for brain tumors, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia.

Additionally, our faculty leads international consortiums and laboratory researchers and collaborates with the University of Colorado Cancer Center to find new cures and better cancer treatments for children. We also participate in every major pediatric cooperative group for cancer and blood disorders, including: 

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Three gloved providers practice using a syringe on a medical dummy.