The McDonnell Pediatric Cancer Center (MPCC) works in conjunction with the Division of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology to advance care for children with cancer. It is one of several research centers at Washington University that operate under the auspices of the Children’s Discovery Institute.
The Children’s Discovery Institute (CDI) arose as a partnership between St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation and Washington University School of Medicine. Since 2006, the CDI has been helped to address the funding gap in research focused on pediatric diseases. The MPCC was established through a generous gift from James and Elizabeth McDonnell and the McDonnell family.
The MPCC supports pediatric cancer research in several ways:
The center offers members three distinct granting mechanisms to emphasize innovation, impact and rigor:
- Support new pilot research projects
- Amplify ongoing research so that we can maximize the impact of successful projects
- Support correlative studies for investigator-initiated clinical trials
The MPCC offers members bioinformatics support for projects related to pediatric cancer research.
The MPPC provides start-up funds and ongoing research support to highly-accomplished CDI investigators. We recruit CDI investigators at the junior faculty level. Eligible candidates include MD, MD/PhD and PhD scientists who have demonstrated excellence in their postdoctoral research and who will conduct lab-based research related to pediatric cancer. Recruitment packages include robust start-up funds and sustained support for 7 years. Our overarching goal is to broaden the portfolio of high-impact, well-funded pediatric cancer research at Washington University.
Our center is part of a shared vision to change the way pediatric research is conducted and offer innovative therapies for patients who were previously considered untreatable.
