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There is an urgent need for new treatment options for poorly responsive and relapsed patients, because 20 percent of infants, children and adolescents will die from their disease or complications of treatment. Furthermore, new drugs with fewer side effects able to replace older, more toxic compounds, are important for long term survival in pediatric patients.

Dr. Yoon plans to investigate the effects of a novel compound, Crizotinib, on various pediatric cancer cell lines. In many pediatric cancer cells, sensor molecules do not function properly, sending disrupted and confused signals to the cell, which can allow cells to grow at an uncontrollable rate. When these cancerous cells spread and take over normal cells, it can eventually result in the death of a child.

Crizotinib is known to change some sensor signal molecules found in association with cancer cells, interfering with a growth promotion pathway, that when shut down, cause cancer cells to stop growing and eventually die.