Together, we’re turning generosity into the greatest possible impact.
Join us in funding the brightest minds investigating the boldest solutions.
Today’s treatments for childhood cancers are often adapted from adult treatment regimens. They’re not meant for kids, whose bodies are still growing. Too many don’t survive – and the ones who do often have decades of health issues ahead of them.
We’re proud to have strong relationships at the University of Minnesota – where a history of brilliant breakthroughs has illuminated the childhood cancer landscape.
Kids like Megan deserve better.
They deserve treatments made for kids, and ones that ensure a bright, brilliant future.
“We don’t want the next family to go through what we went through. What we are doing today probably won’t help Megan, but this cancer isn’t going away. With research, we can make advances. We want to help, and we know we can.” – Andrea, Megan’s mom
Support the Dream Team
Donations from Dream will support rare and hard-to-treat childhood cancer research. Your donation will support talented researchers at the University of Minnesota who are looking into various topics, including:
How some osteosarcoma metastases can evade chemotherapy
New ways of diagnosing the specific type of osteosarcoma
Preclinical testing that could leverage a patient’s immune system to find and kill cancer
Using genome engineering to change the genetic code of Natural Killer cells to better recognize and kill osteosarcoma
Meet this year’s Dream Team.
Multiple disciplines at the University of Minnesota are coming together to solve the problem of childhood cancer. They’re sharing learnings from different cancers and making significant progress. We call them the “Dream Team”—the experts taking research places it’s never gone before.
Emily Greengard, MD
Dr. Greengard is the Fellowship Program Director and faculty member of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Greengard cares for children with neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma, sarcomas and solid tumors.
David Largaespada, PhD
Dr. David Largaespada is an internationally recognized leader in the study of sarcomas. His work is focused on malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) and osteosarcomas. He is studying the genetic pathways that cause these diseases and finding unique vulnerabilities that can be exploited for treatment.
Margaret MacMillan, MD, MSc
Margy MacMillan is the Division Director, Division of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy and a professor in the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. MacMillan cares for pediatric patients with blood disorders. Dr. MacMillan’s research interests focus on optimizing the care for patients with Fanconi anemia.
Branden Moriarity, PhD
As a translational genome engineer, Branden Moriarity develops and translates novel cellular immunotherapies to treat cancer and genetic diseases in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Minnesota, as well as national international partners.
Beau Webber, PhD
Beau Webber is a genome engineer with expertise in stem cell biology, immunology, and translating novel cellular immunotherapies into the clinic for treatment of solid cancers. Pediatric sarcomas are a major focus in the Webber lab, which has developed novel.
Logan Spector, PhD
Logan Spector is an epidemiologist who researches the causes of childhood cancers in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Minnesota, as well as national and international partners. He chairs the Childhood Cancer and Leukemia International Consortium.
Brenda Weigel, MD, MSc
Brenda Weigel is the Division Director, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Dr. Weigel is a professor cross appointed at the Masonic Cancer Center, UMN and Department of Pediatrics. As a pediatric oncologist, Brenda Weigel develops new therapies for children with cancer in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Minnesota.
Joe Neglia, MD, MPH
Joseph Neglia is the Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Physician-in-Chief of M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital and a Pediatric Hematologist/Oncologist. He treats children with blood disorders, retinoblastoma and brain tumors.
John Wagner, MD
John E. Wagner, MD, is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Blood and Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy. He is the Founding Director of the new Institute of Cell, Gene and Immunotherapeutics at the University of Minnesota.
