In an effort to fund childhood cancer researchers at early stages in their careers, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) awarded 53 Pediatric Oncology Student Training (POST) Grants students across the country. Each student is awarded $5,000, dedicating at least eight full weeks to the program, either joining a research project underway in a mentor’s lab or beginning an original investigation.

This year’s students from Penn, their mentors and the titles of their projects are:

Allison Hare, PSOM

Mentor: Dr. Kristopher Bosse (co-funded with Love Your Melon)

“Validating GPC2 as an Immunotherapeutic Target in Medulloblastoma”

Sabina London, SAS

Mentor: Dr. Yael Mossé (co-funded with Northwestern Mutual)

“Targeting SHP2 in Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-driven Neuroblastomas”

Kavitha Muralidharan, PSOM

Mentor: Dr. Vinodh Pillai

“Predicting Cytokine Release Syndrome Before Chimeric Antigen Receptor Therapy in B Lymphoblastic Leukemia”

Alberto Guerra, PSOM

Mentor: Dr. Yael Mossé

“ALK as an Immunotherapeutic Target in Neuroblastoma”