CureSearch ONE
Bringing the childhood cancer community together to move promising science toward better treatments for children
Formerly CureSearch PEDS (Pediatric Early Development Symposium)
Progress in childhood cancer requires more than scientific discovery. It takes researchers, clinicians, industry leaders, regulators, funders, advocates, and other partners working together to overcome the challenges that stand between a promising idea and a treatment that can reach children.
CureSearch ONE brings those perspectives together.
CureSearch ONE is a quarterly webinar series designed to foster collaboration, share knowledge, and explore practical solutions to some of the most important challenges in childhood cancer research and drug development.
The new name reflects the idea at the heart of the program: meaningful progress happens when the childhood cancer community works together as one.
Each year, CureSearch ONE brings experts from across the pediatric cancer ecosystem together for candid, critical conversations about the science, strategy, funding, partnerships, and decisions required to turn research into better treatment options for children.
2026 CureSearch ONE Series
From Promise to Practice: Strategy, Funding, and Development Behind New Pediatric Cancer Therapies
The 2026 CureSearch ONE series explores the real-world decisions, funding strategies, and execution challenges involved in bringing pediatric cancer therapies from discovery to patients.
Across four 90-minute sessions, experts from research, industry, regulatory agencies, philanthropy, and advocacy examine the scientific, regulatory, financial, and collaborative factors that shape pediatric cancer drug development.
Together, the series provides a step-by-step look at how new therapies move forward, where critical decisions are made along the way, and how the childhood cancer community can work together to overcome barriers and help promising treatments reach children.
Presented by
Series Sponsor
Upcoming Sessions
NOVEMBER 2 | 12:00–1:30 PM ET
What Comes Next
Defining the Path Forward for Pediatric Cancer Drug Development
The concluding session looks ahead to the next phase of pediatric cancer drug development, building on the challenges, funding strategies, and translational pathways explored throughout the 2026 series.
The discussion examines opportunities to improve how new therapies are developed for children, including evolving approaches to clinical trial design, earlier and more effective collaboration, creative funding and co-funding strategies, and meaningful integration of patient and advocate perspectives.
Featuring leaders from across research, regulatory agencies, industry, and advocacy, this session connects lessons from throughout the year to the broader question of what comes next for the field.
Together, the discussion reinforces a central theme of CureSearch ONE: advancing better treatments for children requires coordinated effort across the entire childhood cancer community.
Sponsored by
Speakers
Heidi Cho, MDVice President, Franchise Head and Global Therapeutic Area Head, Hematology
Parexel
Martha Donoghue, MDAssociate Director for Pediatric Oncology and Rare Cancers
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Jack Shern, MDLasker Clinical Research Scholar
Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
Kelli WrightDirector, Patient Advocacy
Day One Biopharmaceuticals
Jeffrey Skolnik, MDModerator
Senior Vice President, Clinical Development
Inovio Pharmaceuticals
Previous Sessions
OCTOBER 2 | 12:00–1:30 PM ET
From Lab to Clinic
Turning Pediatric Cancer Research into Real Treatments for Children
This session focuses on how pediatric cancer therapies move from early research toward clinical trials, highlighting the translational steps and critical decision points that turn promising science into treatments for patients.
Attendees will hear directly from CureSearch-funded investigators who have successfully advanced their work toward the clinic and learn how years of research, collaboration, and targeted funding come together to make new treatment options possible for children.
These real-world examples illustrate what successful translation can look like—providing practical insights for researchers while giving the broader childhood cancer community a clearer view of what it takes to move a scientific discovery from the laboratory to patients.
Sponsored by
Speakers
Crystal Mackall, MDErnest and Amelia Gallo Family Professor
Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
Stanford University
Ranjit S. Bindra, MD, PhDHarvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Therapeutic Radiology
Professor of Pathology
Yale University
Gregory K. Friedman, MDProfessor, Department of Pediatrics Patient Care
Mosbacher Pediatrics Chair
Section Chief, Department of Pediatrics
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Brenda Weigel, MDModerator
Vice President, Clinical Research Industry Engagement
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
JUNE 16 | 12:00–1:30 PM ET
Capital, Risk, and Strategy
Rethinking How Pediatric Cancer Drug Development Is Funded to Move Therapies Forward
This session focuses on how pediatric cancer drug development is funded and why traditional biotech investment models often fall short in pediatrics.
The discussion examines a range of funding approaches, including foundation-led investment, public-private partnerships, and non-dilutive capital, highlighting how risk can be assessed and shared across stakeholders.
Drawing on examples from organizations actively funding pediatric cancer research, the session explores what effective investment can look like in this space and how thoughtful funding strategies and partnerships can help move promising therapies toward the clinic.
Sponsored by
Speakers
Michele Cleary, PhDChief Executive Officer
Advancium Health Network
Andrew Lo, PhDCharles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor
MIT Sloan School of Management
Wendy Jacquemet-Ross, PhD, CLPHead of Partnerships, Childhood Cancer
LifeArc
Tony HicksonChief Business Officer
Cancer Research UK / Cancer Research Horizons
Stacey Adam, PhDModerator
Vice President, Science Partnerships
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
APRIL 23 | 12:00–1:30 PM ET
The Starting Point
Realities of Pediatric Cancer Drug Development—What’s Different and Why It Matters
This opening session sets the foundation for the series by examining why pediatric cancer drug development is uniquely challenging and why progress often looks different than in adult oncology.
The discussion explores the scientific, regulatory, and ethical considerations that shape pediatric cancer drug development, along with structural barriers that influence funding and execution.
Through candid conversations with experts directly involved in advancing pediatric cancer therapies, and examples from across the field, the session examines why new approaches to development, investment, and collaboration are essential to moving breakthroughs forward for children.
Speakers
Elizabeth Fox, MD, MSSenior Vice President, Clinical Trials Research
Associate Director for Clinical Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Michael C. Cox, PharmD, MHSc, BCOPPrincipal
Martian Clinical Consulting
Nicole Drezner, MDDeputy Division Director, Division of Oncology 2
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brenda Weigel, MDModerator
Vice President, Clinical Research Industry Engagement
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Questions about CureSearch ONE?
Contact us at peds@curesearch.org.
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