Catapult Award
Bringing promising treatments into clinical testing.
A promising treatment approach must be studied in patients before it can become part of routine care. CureSearch’s Catapult Awards support this critical step, funding Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials of new treatment approaches for children with cancer. These studies build on laboratory research to evaluate safety, determine dosing, and examine early signs of benefit.
Catapult Awards provide substantial, multiyear funding for projects ready to enter clinical testing, with the expectation that patient enrollment will begin within one year of receiving funding. Our goal is to give promising research the opportunity to become better, safer treatments for children.
Active projects
Currently funded investigators
Meet the researchers leading our currently funded Catapult projects and exploring new approaches to treating childhood cancer.
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Active
Robbie Majzner, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute / Boston Children’s Hospital
GD2-ZAP70 CAR T Cells in Relapsed and Refractory Neuroblastoma
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Active
Mohamed S. Abdelbaki, MD
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Phase I Study of Natural Killer Cells in Recurrent Malignant Brain Tumors
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Active
David Munn, MD
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Combined IDO and BTK Inhibition for Immunotherapy of Pediatric Brain Tumors
Completed projects
Explore the research portfolio.
Browse previously funded investigators, institutions, and projects.
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Elias Sayour, MD, PhD
University of Florida
RNA-nanoparticle Vaccines for Pediatric High-Grade Glioma
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Ranjit Bindra, MD, PhD
Yale University School of Medicine
Exploiting Mutant IDH1/2-induced DNA Repair Defects in Pediatric Glioma
No completed projects match your search.
A researcher’s perspective
“Current GD2 CAR T cells only work in patients with small amounts of disease. We’ve designed a brand-new CAR architecture that breaks past limitations to success in lab models, and this trial will allow us to bring this advanced therapy to the children who need it most. The CureSearch Catapult Award is vital to our mission; it gives us the momentum to catapult this science out of the lab and directly to the forefront of patient care.”
Where this award fits
The research continuum
Bringing a new cancer treatment to children is a complex journey that requires multiple steps, specialized expertise, and significant investment. CureSearch funds research across the continuum, with each award program addressing different stages of development.
- 1 Basic Research Understand cancer biology
- 2 Drug Design Identify and validate targets
- 3 Preclinical Development Evaluate safety and efficacy
- 4 Early Clinical Trials Phase I and early Phase II trials
- 5 Later Clinical Trials & Approval Phase II/III trials and regulatory review
Catapult Award
Primary position: Early Clinical Trials
Funds Phase 1 and Phase 2 pediatric clinical trials, with awards up to $2.5M over three years.
The next treatment starts here
Help make the next treatment possible.
Your support helps bring new treatment approaches into clinical trials for children with cancer. Together, we can invest in research that could lead to better treatments and better futures.
