CARY, NC (September 8, 2026) – The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a top-rated charity, announced $16.2 million in funding awarded to 18 exceptional scientists through its Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund.
Cancer remains the leading disease related cause of death among children and adolescents. Despite this, pediatric cancer research remains dramatically underfunded, with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) allocating limited funding to the field. The V Foundation is helping to fill this critical gap. Through June 2026, the V Foundation has awarded over $107 million across 264 pediatric grants to scientists whose groundbreaking ideas are having a life-changing impact on patients and families.
The Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund is a testament to the V Foundation’s commitment to advancing vital research for children and achieving Victory Over Cancer. This year’s awards span-across three V Foundation grant programs:
- All-Star Grants: A re-investment in previous V Scholar, Translational or Game-Changer grant recipients who are invited to apply for a $1,000,000 grant over 5 years. This year, nine All-Star grants were awarded to investigators driving breakthroughs in pediatric cancer research.
- Translational Grants: Four Translational Grants were awarded to support “bench-to-beside” research. These grants award $200,000 per year over four years to fuel research that will drive laboratory discoveries into early-phase clinical trials.
- V-Scholar Grant: Five V-Scholar grants were awarded to early-career tenure track scientists, who will receive $200,000 per year for four years to support laboratory-based fundamental or translational research.
While the cancer death rate has declined by 69% in children and by 58% in adolescents since 1970 due to advancements in clinical research, many children still rely on therapies developed decades ago. The 2026 grantees are working to rewrite those statistics across childhood cancers.
“Pediatric cancers are biologically distinct, and children deserve treatments developed specifically for them,” said Susanna Greer, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of the V Foundation. “This exceptional group of scientists is helping us understand these cancers in entirely new ways and translate those discoveries toward safer, more precise therapies. Our goal is not only to help more children survive cancer, but to ensure they can live long, healthy lives after it.”
The Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund Recipients:
- Andrei Thomas-Tikhonenko, Ph.D., All-Star, Abramson Cancer Center, Leukemia, Immunotherapy,
- Iannis Aifantis, Ph.D., All-Star, Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Patricia Ernst, Ph.D., All-Star, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Leukemia
- Stephen Gottschalk, M.D., All-Star, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Osteosarcoma, Immunotherapy
- Ash A. Alizadeh, M.D., Ph.D., All-Star, Stanford Cancer Institute, Lymphomas
- Fernando Camargo, Ph.D., All-Star, Boston Children’s Hospital, Liver Cancer
- Berkley Gryder, Ph.D., All-Star, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Soft tissue sarcomas, Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Michael G. Kharas, Ph.D., All-Star, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Neuroblastoma
- Chao Lu, Ph.D., All-Star, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Brain, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)
- Charles Mullighan, M.D., Translational, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Multiple Cancer Types
- Renier Brentjens, M.D., Ph.D., Translational, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bone Cancer, Immunotherapy
- Suzanne Macfarland, M.D., Translational, Abramson Cancer Center, Applicable to All Cancer Types
- Lukas Chavez, Ph.D., Translational, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Brain Cancer, Ependymoma
- Riaz Gillani, M.D., V Scholar, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, Osteosarcoma
- Sathish Padi, Ph.D., V Scholar, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, Multiple Cancer Types
- Yiming Wang, M.D., Ph.D., V Scholar, Garron Family Cancer Centre at SickKids in Toronto, Applicable to All Cancer Types
- Erin Crotty, M.D., V Scholar Fred Hutch / University of Washington / Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium, Brain Cancer, Medulloblastoma
“Receiving the V Scholar award is both an honor and meaningful investment in our vision to improve outcomes for children with high-risk cancers,” said Dr. Sathish Padi, Ph.D., at O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “The V Foundation’s support enables our team to pursue innovative research that lays the foundation for safer, more effective therapies. Our goal is to give children the opportunity to live healthier lives while providing hope and reassurance to their families, with hope that our discoveries will inspire new approaches that benefit the broader cancer research and healthcare communities.”
Each grant is awarded through a highly selective process overseen by the V Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee, a distinguished group of the nation’s leading clinicians and scientists. The funded projects span 16 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-Designated Cancer Centers across the United States, as well as a leading center in Canada.
For more information about the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund visit v.org/pediatrics and for information on other V Foundation programs, visit v.org.
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