Department of Pediatrics
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Research

The division of hematology, oncology & bone marrow transplant is committed to integrating research into the care of our patients. Our laboratories are located in the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, which is connected to UW Health and the American Family Children’s Hospital.

Clinical Research Programs

The major advances in treatment in childhood cancer have resulted from well-designed clinical trials. Thus the great majority of patients we care for participate in clinical trials. We offer access to cutting edge treatments by writing our own institutional clinical trials based on the research lab data we have discovered, in addition to participating in multi-institutional group trials. Check out trials that are only available at UW Health. These include our activities in the:

In our role as participants in the above clinical groups, members of our team have played leadership roles in the design, implementation and analyses of many national clinical research trials, particularly for the COG.

All faculty enroll patients with Hematologic Malignancies and Solid Tumors onto clinical trials offered through COG or exclusively at UW. In addition, we have specific expertise in managing patients with neuroblastoma through cutting edge treatments such as anti-GD2 immunotherapy, MIBG therapy or ex vivo expanded NK cells.

Clinical Trials

Targeted Radiotherapy

For more information or questions, please contact us via email at PedsHemOncResearch@lists.wisc.edu or call us at 608-890-8070

Active (UW Only):

Active (multi-institutional):

Bone Marrow Transplant

TCR-αβ+ and CD19+ Depleted KIR/KIR Ligand-mismatched Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and Zoledronate for Pediatric Relapsed/Refractory Hematologic Malignancies and High Risk Solid Tumors

This phase I trial studies the safety of transplantation with a haploidentical donor (typically Mother or Father) peripheral blood stem cell graft depleted of TCRαβ+ cells (which cause GVHD) and CD19+ cells in conjunction with the immunomodulating drug, Zoledronate, given in the post-transplant period. Zoledronate expands gamma delta T cells, which have anti-tumor properties, speed up immune recovery but do not mediate GVHD.

For more information or questions, please contact us via email at PedsHemOncResearch@lists.wisc.edu or call us at 608-890-8070

Eligible Cancers

Trial treatment diagram

  • Leukemia:  Acute Myeloid  & Acute Lymphoblastic
  • Lymphoma:  Hodgkin & Non-Hodgkin
  • Myelodysplastic Syndrome
  • Myeloproliferative Syndrome
  • Sarcomas:  Rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing Sarcoma, Osteosarcoma
  • Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor
  • Neuroblastoma

Ages eligible for study: 7 months to 21 years

Hematologic Malignancies

For more information or questions, please contact us via email at PedsHemOncResearch@lists.wisc.edu or call us at 608-890-8070

Eligible Leukemia and Lymphomas

Leukemia Clinical Trials

Lymphoma Clinical Trials

Solid Tumors

For more information or questions, please contact us via email at PedsHemOncResearch@lists.wisc.edu or call us at 608-890-8070

Eligible Solid Tumors

Sarcomas Other Tumors Other Oncologic Diseases
Ewing Sarcoma
Osteosarcoma
Rhabdomyosarcoma
Neuroblastoma
Wilms Tumor
Hepatoblastoma
Retinoblastoma
Germ Cell Tumors
Endocrine Tumors, including Adrenocortical carcinoma
Thyroid Tumors
Langerhans’ Cell Histiocytosis (LCH)
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)
Vascular malformations (Hemangiomas and lymphangiomas)
Neurofibromatosis (Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor)

Neuroblastoma Clinical Trials

Sarcoma Clinical Trials

Wilms Tumor Clinical Trials

Late Effects

The Caring for Life Clinic is designed specifically to help the survivors of childhood cancer.

For more information or questions, please contact us via email at PedsHemOncResearch@lists.wisc.edu or call us at 608-890-8070

Clinic Goals

  • Detect and treat problems related to being a childhood cancer survivor
  • Share ongoing research findings with childhood cancer survivors
  • Provide health maintenance education about potential risks and preventive behaviors
  • Provide information to school personnel and employers to meet the special needs of survivors
  • Provide emotional support to both survivors and family members
  • Empower survivors of cancer to advocate for their rights
  • Facilitate transition of medical care to an adult care system

Late Effects Clinical Trials

Neuro-oncology

For more information or questions, please contact us via email at PedsHemOncResearch@lists.wisc.edu or call us at 608-890-8070

Eligible Brain & Spinal Tumors

Brain & Spinal Tumor Clinical Trials

Laboratory Research Programs

Hematologic Malignancies and Immunotherapy Research Group (Richards)

Immunotherapy & Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Research Group (Capitini)

Sondel Research Group

Current Research Support

Christian Capitini, MD

Becky Richards, MD, PhD

Paul Sondel, MD, PhD

Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, “Support for research data management” (2007-2019). DeSantes, PI

Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, “Treatment of relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma with ex-vivo activated and expanded haploidentical NK cells and continuous infusion Hu14.18-IL2” (2017-2019). DeSantes, PI

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles & NIH/NIAID (U54 AI082973), “PIDTC #6902: A retrospective and cross-sectional analysis of patients treated for SCID” (2017-ongoing), DeSantes, site PI

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles & NIH/NIAID (U54 AI082973), “PIDTC #6903: Analysis of patients treated for chronic granulomatous disease” (2016-ongoing), DeSantes, site PI

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles & NIH/NIAID (U54 AI082973), “PIDTC #6901: A prospective natural history study of diagnosis, treatment and outcomes of children with SCID disorders” (2016-ongoing), DeSantes, site PI

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Seattle Genetics, Inc., “A randomized phase III study of brentuximab vedotin for newly diagnosed classical hodgkin lymphoma in children and adolescents (AHOD1331)” (2016-ongoing). DeSantes, site PI

Mesoblast, “A single-arm, prospective study of remestemcel-L, ex-vivo cultured adult human mesenchymal stromal cells, for the treatment of pediatric patients who have failed to respond to steroid treatment for acute GVHD” (2016-ongoing). DeSantes, PI

Macrogenics, “UW16107: A phase 1, open-label, dose escalation study of MGA271 in pediatric patients with B7-H3-expressing relapsed or refractory solid tumors” (2016-ongoing). DeSantes, PI

Boehringer Ingelheim, Ltd., “Phase I open label, dose escalation trial to determine the MTD, safety, PK and efficacy of afatinib monotherapy in children aged 2 years to <18 years with recurrent/refractory neuroectodermal tumours, rhabdomyosarcoma and/or other solid tumours” (2016-ongoing). DeSantes, PI

Nationwide Children’s Hospital, “The “head start 4” protocol newly diagnosed children (less than 10 years old) with medulloblastoma and other central, nervous system embryonal tumors, phase IV” (2015-ongoing). DeSantes, site PI

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Children’s Oncology Group, “Everychild protocol: a registry, eligibility screening, biology and outcome study (APEC14B1)” (2015-ongoing). DeSantes, PI

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc., “Intergroup trial for children or adolescents with B-cell NHL or B-AL: evaluation of rituximab efficacy and safety in high risk patients (ANHL1131)” (2014-ongoing). DeSantes, PI

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “AALL1131 – A phase III randomized trial for newly diagnosed high risk B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia testing clofarabine in the very high risk stratum (AALL1131)” (2014-ongoing). DeSantes, PI

Solving Kids Cancer, “Phase I trial of ex-vivo expanded haploidentical NK cells and Hu14.18-IL2 for children with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma” (2012-2017). DeSantes, PI

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, “A phase 2 multi-center, historically-controlled study of dasatinib added to standard chemotherapy in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia” (2012-ongoing). DeSantes, site PI

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Millenium Pharmaceuticals, “A phase III randomized trial for patients with de novo AML using bortezomib and sorafenib for patients with high allelic ratio FLT2/ITD (AAML1031)” (2012-ongoing). DeSantes, site PI