National Pediatric Cancer Foundation Awards $1 Million Grant to Advance Breakthrough Research for Rare Pediatric Cancer

TAMPA, Fla., May 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation (NPCF) has awarded a $1 million research grant to JinSeok Park, PhD, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, to support mechanistic and translational research targeting Metastatic Fusion‑positive Rhabdomyosarcoma (MFPRMS) — an ultra‑rare, clinically aggressive pediatric sarcoma characterized by the PAX3‑FOXO1 fusion oncoprotein.

The NPCF recently launched a nationwide search, encouraging physicians, scientists, and thought leaders to submit proposals to address MFPRMS. This is an extremely rare sarcoma that presents with wide metastatic disease and an aggressive course. MFPRMS is often extremely sensitive to therapy initially, with dramatic and even complete radiographic responses with treatment. However, disease inevitably recurs, with 3-year event-free survival rates of around 10%. There has been no recent improvement in survival outcomes for MFPRMS, and no promising new agents are ready for testing in up-front clinical trials. 

The disease is highly challenging to study given its rarity, infrequent tissue acquisition, and predominance in children, a vulnerable population for research initiatives. With only 4% of federal funding for cancer research is allocated to projects involving childhood cancer, NPCF's goal is for this grant program to help close the funding gap and accelerate progress for children facing the most lethal cancers. 

NPCF is proud to announce the following winner of the $1 million research grant: Dr. JinSeok Park from Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Park's research aims to develop more effective therapies to prevent the return of cancer after chemotherapy and better understand why MFPRMS resists chemotherapy. Dr. Park has discovered that MFPRMS forms invasive groups of cells that work together to grow and spread. At the outer edge of these groups are "leader cells" with lower expression of the abnormal gene PAX3-FOXO1. These leader cells are the first to spread into the surrounding tissue, creating space for the mass to grow. 

Meanwhile, "follower cells" in the core have a higher PAX3-FOXO1 expression, enabling them to multiply faster, fill the space, and push leader cells outward - driving rapid tumor mass growth. Notably, when PAX3-FOXO1 levels are reduced, cancer cells multiply more slowly, which may contribute to their resistance to drugs that target cell growth. 

Dr. Park and his team believe that the marginal leader cells, with lower PAX3-FOXO1 levels, act as accomplices in chemotherapy resistance, effectively shielding the MFPRMS tumor mass, and contributing to recurrence. His research will investigate how MFPRMS tumors reduce PAX3-FOXO1 expression at their margins and how this reduction promotes chemoresistance. By understanding this shielding mechanism, Dr. Park aims to identify new therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance and improve outcomes for children battling MFPRMS.

In recognition of National Cancer Research Month, NPCF encourages supporters to visit HelpFundTheCure.org and make a contribution to advance the next wave of innovative pediatric cancer research. Your support enables NPCF to pursue additional high-potential scientific projects, accelerate promising discoveries, and expand research opportunities for children facing the most difficult-to-treat cancers. Individuals and organizations are invited to rally their networks and help drive critical funding toward breakthroughs that cannot wait.

The National Pediatric Cancer Foundation (founded in 1991) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research to eliminate childhood cancer. We govern a unique, collaborative research consortium (called the Sunshine Project) consisting of physicians and scientists from thirty-two of the top hospitals in the nation. We collaborate to idealize and aggregate the best scientific ideas and fund innovative research. The NPCF has received a perfect 100% score for financial health and transparency and is recognized as the top-rated cancer charity in the U.S. by Charity Navigator. For more information, visit NationalPCF.org or connect via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

SOURCE National Pediatric Cancer Foundation