NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) has started a new pediatric cancer research program that will focus on using molecular analysis and personalized medical approaches, VARI said today.
The VARI Pediatrics Cancer Translational Research Program will use genomic techniques to develop treatments for children with cancer.
The program will be led by pediatric oncologist Giselle Sholler, who currently is chair of the Neuroblastoma and Medulloblastoma Translational Research Consortium, and by co-director Craig Webb, who also is director of VARI's Program of Translational Medicine.
"This new initiative is undertaken with the best objective that I can possibly imagine: the goal of curing children with cancer," VARI Chairman and CEO David Van Andel said in a statement.
Grand Rapids, Mich.-based VARI said that the new program will enable large-scale projects using genomics and molecular analysis techniques to identify the best treatment options based on the individual tumor biology.