Nancy Bunin Research Program

Led by Nancy J. Bunin, MD, researchers in the Bunin Research Program are studying the use of bone marrow and blood transplants as treatments for children with cancer. The long-term goal of the research conducted in this program is to improve outcomes and decrease risks for pediatric oncology transplant patients.

Ongoing clinical studies in the Bunin Research Program are focused on providing better medical outcomes for children who receive bone marrow transplants as a cancer treatment. Researchers in the Bunin program have developed unique transplantation protocols to reduce the risk of graft vs. host disease (GVHD) with unrelated or partially-matched donors. This increases the size of potential donor pools for children who require bone marrow transplants to treat cancer.

Other clinical studies in the Bunin Research Program are evaluating the use of sirolimus to treat patients with relapsed leukemia and lymphoma after bone marrow transplants. Researchers have demonstrated that activation of donor cells using a unique activation process can have potent anti-cancer effects on children with relapsed leukemia or lymphoma.

Future studies in the Bunin Research Program will continue to focus on modifying and developing blood and bone marrow transplantation methods that improve medical outcomes and decrease the risks and toxicities associated with pediatric cancer therapies.