Shannon Maude Research Program

Led by Shannon L. Maude, MD, PhD, researchers in the Maude Research Program are focused on developing and clinically evaluating new immunotherapies and targeted cancer therapies to treat children with high-risk and relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The long-term goal of the work conducted in this laboratory is to identify new pediatric ALL treatments that are more effective, less toxic and exhibit fewer side effect than existing cancer therapies.

Ongoing studies in the Maude Research Program are evaluating the effectiveness of targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (such as ruxolitinib) on leukemias with abnormalities in the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. Additional studies are underway to develop genomic and molecular diagnostic tests that may help to predict whether or not children with high-risk ALL are likely to respond to ruxolitinib or other targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Other studies in the Maude Research Program are focused on clinical evaluation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells redirected against CD19 (over expressed on ALL cancer cells) as a treatment for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In addition to their role in CAR T cell therapy clinical trials, researchers in the Maude Research Program are evaluating the use of CAR T cells targeting CD22 (CD22 is also over expressed on ALL cancer cells) in children with ALL who relapse with CD19 negative leukemias after CART19 treatment.

Future studies in the Maude Research Program will continue to focus on identification and clinical evaluation of novel immunotherapies and targeted cancer inhibitors to treat children with high-risk or relapsed/refractory ALL.