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In 1998, in an effort to expand their research potential, an
initiative was launched to establish the Four Diamonds Research
Institute at Penn State College of Medicine. Thanks to the
generosity of many, including the Penn State Dance Marathon, this
Research Institute has been funded. Two endowed chair positions
have been established including endowed lab funding and two
endowed research scholarships.
Major areas of basic research include: immune modulation to improve outcome
in bone marrow transplantation, vaccine development to treat pediatric
cancers, hematopoietic differentiation/ proliferation, and leukogenesis.
Clinical Research
In addition to the basic scientific research that occurs within
the labs at The Four Diamonds Research Institute at Penn State
College of Medicine, the Division of Pediatric Oncology is
actively involved in the management of clinical trials to treat
childhood cancer.
As members of the Children's Oncology Group, the physicians and
nurses are involved in the development and management of protocols
used internationally to treat children with cancer. This provides
our patients with access to the most advanced clinical trials
available. It is through this participation by institutions
worldwide that the cure rates have improved from a universally
fatal disease to one that carries an 80% long-term survival rate. Back |
