Mark Kohler, MD, PhD

While improved treatment options for pediatric leukemia have increased patient survival rates, certain subtypes will not be cured with conventional chemotherapy. In fact, AML patients who do not respond to treatment, or experience recurrence after treatment, usually survive fewer than six months.

Mark Kohler, MD, PhD, is a CureSearch Young Investigator conducting research at the University of Colorado Cancer Center to develop a new treatment approach for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare blood cancer in children. CAR T-cell therapy is ideal for patients whose disease no longer responds to chemotherapy, as it relies on the immune system to eliminate leukemia cells. Dr. Kohler will develop two CAR T-cell approaches for AML, which will decrease the leukemia cells’ ability to avoid treatment and reduce toxicity in children with relapsed AML.

Dr. Kohler’s research was selected as a recipient of the SebastianStrong Foundation’s annual Discovery Science Award. The award is granted to research projects that use innovative methodologies and out-of-the-box approaches in the quest for less-toxic cures.

“We are excited and proud to partner with Dr. Kohler and CureSearch on this project. We’ve seen the results CAR-T cell approaches have had onALL and are very excited about the potential of bringing similar successes to AML,” said Oscar Ortiz, Executive Director and Co-founder of SebastianStrong. “Our ultimate goal is to create more potential treatments for kids facing a cancer diagnosis. We want the research that we fund to provide hope so that parents don’t have to hear the devastating words that so many parents hear every day, “we’re out of options”.

CureSearch thanks the SebastianStrong Foundation for partnering with us to support this important project.