Our Mission 

​​To make childhood cancer a state health priority and give all Kentucky children access to new and innovative cancer research, development and precision treatment — with less toxicity — while encouraging psychosocial support and focus on the complicated issues of long-term survivorship. These efforts target the needs and challenges specific to Kentucky childhood cancer epidemiology and treatments but hope to serve as a national model for how other states approach childhood cancer research.

Our Vision

To serve as an umbrella organization to organize all pediatric cancer work across the state. It is not designed to compete with other organizations but to augment and elevate collaborative efforts; to serve as a reservoir of collaboration and information so that all efforts are amplified through an organized channel eliminating silos and fostering innovation with compassion and collaboration.

History 

The Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund (KPCRTF) was established in 2015 by Senate Bill 82 and funded in the amount of $2.5 million each year of the biennium as part of the 2018 budget bill. The KPCRTF is an independent board administered by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services per statute KRS 211.596 and regulation KRS 211.597.

Pediatric Cancer Trust Fund Application Process

Eligible grant applicants include nonprofits, education institutions and Kentucky governmental agencies. Applicants must offer a program or service to address the needs of the commonwealth.

For answers to questions regarding this process, see contact information below.

Pediatric Cancer Research Trust Fund Board Meetings:

2021 Dates

Funded Projects - FY 2021

University of Kentucky

• Chemotherapy Induced Cognition Impairment - Mechanisms and Prevention
  
• Factors associated with high incidence of pediatric brain and central nervous system tumors in Kentucky
• Investigational new drug enabling studies of Mithramycin derivatives for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma
• Circulating tumor DNA as a prognostic indicator of minimal residual disease and central nervous system relapse in acute myeloid leukemia
  

University of Louisville

• Developing targeted cellular immunotherapy for childhood malignancies
• Anti-CD33/CD123 compound CAR-T cells, a novel and promising immunotherapy for the treatment of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia
• Anti-GD2 CAR-T cells with intrinsic PD-1 checkpoint blockade, a novel and promising immunotherapy for the treatment of pediatric neuroblastoma and brain tumors
  

Funded Projects - FY 2021 and FY 2022