The Sunshine Project

Mission:
The purpose of The Sunshine Project is to accelerate the development of new drugs and therapies leading to less toxic, more targeted therapies and a cure for pediatric cancers.

Overview
Pediatric cancer remains the number one killing disease of our children. Through the launch of The Sunshine Project, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation decided to aggressively pursue measurable change in the way pediatric cancer research is approached and funded.

In 2005, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation formed The Sunshine Project, an innovative collaboration with one goal: to bring together the nation's top doctors and researchers to fast-track new treatments and increase the survival rate for children battling cancer.

The creation of The Sunshine Project, though simple in theory, was complex in nature. But by establishing this program, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation has developed a business model unlike any other in the field of pediatric cancer research. We have essentially capitalized on the strengths of researchers from all different fields of science and streamlined the process that has accelerated the development of new treatments.

Over the past three years, we have implemented the groundwork necessary to introduce three new drugs into clinical trials in 10 hospitals throughout the nation. New compounds have been, and continue to be, tested in these trials and hold great promise for children who have not experienced positive results under the standard treatment protocol.

Why is The Sunshine Project Unique?

The Sunshine Project is the first of its kind in the field of pediatric cancer research.

Investigators are performing three vital phases of research simultaneously. Basic Science, Translational Research, and Clinical Trials are the major research components that not only allow doctors to identify new agents in fighting cancer, but also help researchers to understand the cancer cells' response to the drug. In identifying new treatment options through clinical trials, researchers are focusing on developing new treatments that target only specific cancer-causing molecules inthe body, unlike more traditional treatments that often prove toxic to healthy cells.

Because the new gene-targeted therapies are less toxic than traditional treatment, it is also more effective because it targets the source of the cancer and does not compromise the rest of the body by eliminating the immune system which many times leads to death.

The collaborative effort that is employed through The Sunshine Project is extraordinarily rare in the world of research, particularly in the arena of pediatric oncology. The Sunshine Project is being executed at a rapid rate, relying on the cooperative efforts of several investigators from numerous leading institutions and requires the support of many. Through this novel approach, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation is literally changing the way research is done.

Who do we work with?

We currently work with leading doctors from around the United States (and Canada) from the following participating institutions:

- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center - Tampa, FL
- All Children's Hospital - St. Petersburg, FL
- MD Anderson Cancer Center - Orlando, FL
- Nemours Children’s Clinic – Jacksonville, FL

- St. Joseph's Children's Hospital - Tampa, FL

- The Children's Hospital at Montefiore - Bronx, NY
- University of Florida - Shands Cancer Center - Gainesville, FL

- University of Miami - Miami, FL

Click here to view photos taken at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center:

Photos at Moffitt