St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

During a drug shortage, maintaining consistency in care treatment plans can be difficult for hospitals around the country. It could mean that hospitals and pharmacies can only get a limited quantity of needed medicines. Although St. Jude has safeguards in place to avoid impacting our patients, the institution prioritizes preservation of the medicines and therapeutics needed to treat catastrophic diseases. When the Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics didn’t receive part of its inventory, Sharnise Mitchell, PhD, tracked down the package to ensure that a project could resume without interruption. The shipment – an innocuous-looking box – was left on a shipping dock, the blistering heat threatening to destroy its potency and potential to treat disease. With a year of work hanging in the balance, she recovered the package and calmed her colleague’s anxiety with her cool demeanor. “Without a particular drug, a study can’t move forward. If there is something that’s missing, it’s typically my role to track it down,” she said. “We do whatever it takes to push the project forward.” As a research program manager in Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, part of Mitchell’s role is ensuring that everyone on a project has the needed resources available to them. A former post-doc who has transitioned to her current role overseeing research projects, she offers a unique perspective to the teams she works with. In the case of the missing package, her knowledge of proper storage techniques and the critical nature temperature can play in the preservation of medicines proved crucial. “I am here to manage and support large research programs and find those places where we can accelerate timelines and push a project forward,” Mitchell said. “It’s really important to make sure that we are on task and pushing forward constantly. Time matters.” Each year, St. Jude recognizes employees, nominated by their coworkers, who embody the seven core values that drive the institution. These stories show that the values are lived through the actions and commitment to our patients, their families and each other. Mitchell was honored for the value “Work with purpose and urgency—your efforts matter.”

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital welcomes georgios skiniotis, PhD, to the Department of Structural Biology. Skiniotis will also serve as director of the newly created Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology, developing and leading a technology hub that will advance the understanding of cell biology from the atomic to the micron scale. Under Skiniotis’ leadership, the Center will integrate emerging techniques like cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) and volume electron microscopy (vEM). “This new Center of Excellence will allow us to build the experimental framework to visualize these and countless other cellular complexes in their native environment, further enabling researchers of different disciplines across the institution to synergize towards understanding underlying diseases and designing novel treatments with improved outcomes,” Skiniotis said. A pioneer in structural biology, Skiniotis has made transformative contributions to understanding G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. These proteins facilitate cellular communication and are key therapeutic targets for various diseases. His work includes using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to explore protein structures in isolation and intact cells, expanding opportunities for therapeutic innovation. J. Paul Taylor, MD, PhD, Scientific Director and Executive Vice President of St. Jude, emphasized the significance of Skiniotis’ appointment: “The addition of Dr. Skiniotis allows for St. Jude to continue its cutting-edge research, paving the way for fundamental insights into the basis of catastrophic pediatric diseases.” We look forward to the discoveries this collaboration will bring to the field of pediatric disease research. #StructuralBiology #CellBiology #CryoEM #BiomedicalResearch

B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCR-ALL) has a cure rate exceeding 85% in children, but similar outcomes in adults have lagged behind. But, recent results from a phase 3 clinical trial show that adding the immunotherapy drug blinatumomab to consolidation chemotherapy in adults with BCR-ALL increased three-year survival from 68% to 85%. Investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital collaborated with researchers from Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer-Center and others on the study.  “Overall, the magnitude of benefit for patients we saw was very striking,” said co-senior author Charles Mullighan, MBBS (Hons), MSc, MD, Comprehensive Cancer Center deputy director and St. Jude Department of Pathology member. Mullighan added that the results suggest blinatumomab incorporation into consolidation therapy should become standard of care for adult BCR-ALL.  “BCR-ALL is an important cancer in adults,” he said. “It previously has not had many effective therapeutic options, and this study has identified one that's very effective.” Read more on the novel discovery on Progress. https://ow.ly/8IIl50Uc32Y

Eleven scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have been named to the 2024 Highly Cited Researchers list. This annual distinction, compiled by Web of Science™ in collaboration with the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)™ at Clarivate, identifies researchers whose work has profoundly influenced scientific fields worldwide. Their high citation rates place them within the top 1% of scientists globally, showing their impact on advancing medical knowledge and patient care. Congratulations to Brian Abraham, PhD, Computational Biology; Kelly Caudle, Pharm.D., Ph.D., BCPS Pharmaceutical Sciences; Hongbo Chi, PhD, Immunology; Doug Green, PhD, Immunology; Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, PhD, Immunology vice-chair; RK Subbarao Malireddi, PhD, Immunology, Kanneganti lab; Tanja Mittag, PhD, Structural Biology; Mary Relling, PharmD, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Services, emeritus; Paul Thomas, PhD, Host-Microbe Interactions and Immunology; Shengdar Q. Tsai, PhD, Hematology; and Peter Vogel, DVM, PhD, Pathology. Highly Cited Researchers are recognized not only for the quantity of their work but for the reach and influence it commands within their fields. Over the past decade, these St. Jude scientists have published numerous papers cited by peers worldwide, highlighting the importance of their research in areas such as oncology, hematology and immunology. “Citations form a foundational layer of knowledge that enable the scientific community to build on existing discoveries and advance research and patient care with confidence,” said Caudle. This achievement highlights the ongoing commitment of St. Jude researchers to push the boundaries of scientific discovery. Their work represents a vital step forward in global research and emphasizes the unique role St. Jude plays in translating groundbreaking science into life-saving patient care. https://ow.ly/Mnlp50UahwL

After earning a PhD, many scientists pursue a postdoc, a period of additional research training that lasts for a few years. But for many postdocs the next career step after this position ends is uncertain. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is doing something to help. The Career Advancement Program (CAP) fellowship is a unique initiative that empowers scientists who have completed their postdoc to successfully transition from research roles to other diverse career paths. From policy and education to industry roles, CAP fellows gain hands-on experience in their chosen fields, while still working at St. Jude. This experience equips them with essential skills and experiences that enhance their competitiveness for positions beyond traditional academic research. Fellows including Jennifer Ocasio, PhD, and Emilia Asante, PhD, exemplify how CAP shapes meaningful career trajectories. Through experiential learning, they honed valuable career-specific skills that significantly broadened their professional options. This approach not only supports individual growth but also contributes to the St. Jude mission of advancing scientific knowledge and innovation in new ways. "What we are creating for postdocs here at St. Jude is a paradigm shift from how we traditionally think about preparing postdocs for careers. I expect it to be transformative, not just for our postdoc community but for postdocs nationwide. I believe that CAP is a model that other institutions can easily replicate," said Sally McIver , PhD, senior director of Academic Programs. St. Jude postdocs have a remarkable track record of moving into tenure-track positions at a rate well above the national average, as well as securing roles in biotechnology, government, and beyond-the-bench careers. The CAP fellowship program helps these talented scientists build targeted skills and insights for success in these fields, establishing St. Jude on the leading edge of postdoctoral training. Learn more about being a postdoc at St. Jude and the resources available at https://ow.ly/tjQc50U9tq8

Antibiotic resistance presents a growing threat to public health, particularly for people who are immunocompromised. In these patients, infections are harder to treat. Through pioneering drug development, St. Jude researchers across different departments aim to provide new antibiotic treatment options for patients. Jason Rosch, PhD, Department of Host-Microbe Interactions is leading research to uncover the mechanisms that drive antibiotic resistance, particularly in high-risk patients. “The lack of an immune system can allow for different resistance mechanisms to potentially emerge, so it’s almost like a ‘canary in a coal mine’ for drug resistance,” he said, highlighting how these patients are uniquely vulnerable to hard-to-treat bacterial strains. Using advanced genetic tools, Rosch's team identifies vulnerabilities in bacteria to target resistance mechanisms and potentially restore antibiotic efficacy. Complementing this work, Peijun Ma, PhD, Pharmaceutical Sciences, uses single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze how certain bacteria evolve resistance. Her research helps pinpoint the unique transcriptional programs in bacteria that drive resistance, potentially paving the way for new therapies. Richard Lee, PhD, Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, is focused on drug development, working to design and synthesize new antibiotics that can bypass or mitigate resistance. “It’s a constant battle against evolution, as we’re not just working against a single bacterium, but billions of them,” he explains, emphasizing the need to innovate continuously to outpace resistant bacteria. The interdisciplinary collaboration in this field underscores the commitment of St. Jude to tackling the silent crisis of antibiotic resistance. Learn more about how researchers aim to outpace bacterial adaptation with innovative approaches to treatment. https://ow.ly/m5VF50U81gY

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified a key role for glutamine metabolism in red blood cell maturation, revealing a major biological switch with implications for how blood disorders like β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease are treated. Led by Jian Xu, PhD, Department of Pathology, and Min Ni, PhD, Department of Oncology, this research shows how the enzyme glutamine synthetase reverses metabolic processes to protect cells from toxic ammonium build-up, improving red blood cell function. "We found that this process is completely reversed during later differentiation. The cells stop breaking down glutamine and begin to synthesize it by completely reversing the reaction,” Xu explained. The findings suggest that glutamine metabolism could be leveraged for diagnosing and potentially treating blood disorders, offering potential breakthroughs in therapeutic strategy. https://ow.ly/QJCy50U7t83

Suzanne Baker, PhD, and her team at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are advancing targeted therapies for pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG). These childhood brain tumors have long posed significant treatment challenges, as promising therapies often struggle to cross the blood-brain barrier, a critical obstacle to effective treatment. In recent preclinical research, Baker's lab explored MET inhibitors, testing three different compounds combined with radiation therapy. They found that capmatinib showed promising synergy with radiation by extending survival in models of pHGG. According to Baker, "The brain is such an important organ that we have a blood-brain barrier to protect it...and that’s a major challenge for brain tumors." This work suggests capmatinib may have clinical promise. Christopher Tinkle, MD, PhD, from the Department of Radiation Oncology, added, "We were impressed with the synergistic interaction...which suggests that this combination therapy may merit clinical evaluation." The commitment to translational research at St. Jude is helping bridge the lab-clinic gap, offering new hope for effective treatments for complex pediatric cancers such as pHGG. Learn more: https://ow.ly/CCLx50U5Ao0

Delighted that our collaborative study demonstrating the potential of cell-free detection of circulating tumor DNA for the diagnosis and monitoring of childhood cancers has been published: PeCan-Seq. This exploited the SJPedPanel to detect sequence and structural variants, and DNA copy number changes, and novel computational approaches to sensitively detect these alterations. Virtually all alterations present in acute leukemia could be detected, and alterations in a subset of solid tumors. The study opens multiple doors for less invasive diagnosis and mutation-specific monitoring of disease response and evolution. Shaohua Lei, Ruth Tatevossian, Sujuan Jia, Jeffery Klco, Gang Wu; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital https://lnkd.in/gGkKX46Y

We are now accepting applications for our MS in Applied Biomedical Data Sciences Program! Please register for this event to learn more about exciting careers at St. Jude and our innovative new Master's degree program that offers exceptional real-world biomedical data science training, a mentored practicum, and generous financial support for our students!