This laboratory conducts preclinical testing of new approaches to the therapy of the Ewing's family of tumors (EFT)

The Ewing's family of tumors (EFT) are seen in both children and adults. Recurrent metastatic EFT are cancers that are very difficult to treat. Testing novel drugs and drug combinations against laboratory models of EFT (preclincal testing) can provide data to help clinical investigators design clincal trials to test new therapeutic approaches to cancers. In the cases of cancers such as EFT, in which the numbers of patients are small enough to prevent a major interest from pharmaceutical companies, academic laboratories funded by both government and private resources play an important role in carrying out preclinical testing.

Recognizing the need for preclinical testing in EFT, beyond what is provided in the NCI PPTP, a group of Children's Oncology Group (COG) investigators sought to have established a laboratory devoted to EFT preclinical testing. These investigators, which included Poul Sorensen, MD PhD, Mark Bernstein, MD, and Richard Gorlick, MD, approached a generous donor, The Charles and Dana Nearburg Foundation, who via the National Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF), is providing funding for an EFT preclinical testing laboratory. From applications submitted in response to an RFA from the COG, a grant review committee selected the proposal from the USC-CHLA Institute for Pediatric Clinical Research (IPCR). The funding for the EFT Preclinical Testing Lab is provided in memory of Rett Nearburg (www.rett.org) and is known as Rett's Initiative - Ewing's Family Tumors Preclinical Testing Research.

The EFT Preclinical Testing Lab is under the direction of C Patrick Reynolds, MD PhD. Co-investigators are Nino Keshelava, MD and William May, MD.

The lab will test new drugs and new combinations of drugs against EFT cell lines and xenografts. Data will be provided to COG clinical investigators to aid in prioritizing new agent studies. A particular goal of the EFT Preclinical Testing Lab is to provide data enabling phase II studies of new drugs in the COG.