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Pediatric Immunotherapy Network (PIN)

A killer T cell (blue) engaging a target cell, with cell-killing molecules (red) traveling along the target cell's cytoskeleton (green).

A killer T cell (blue) engaging a target cell, with cell-killing molecules (red) traveling along the target cell's cytoskeleton (green).

Credit: National Institutes of Health

The Pediatric Immunotherapy Network (PIN) is an initiative (supported by DCB and the NCI Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD) through RFA-CA-22-016) that aims to address current challenges in pediatric immuno-oncology and accelerate the development of effective immunotherapies for pediatric solid tumors.

PIN research projects are focusing on mechanisms of immune evasion in childhood cancers, the development of preclinical models for pediatric immuno-oncology, the discovery and validation of novel immunotherapeutic targets in pediatric tumors, and the design of new pediatric immunotherapy agents and treatment approaches.

The overall goal of PIN is to develop and advance novel translational immunotherapy approaches for children and adolescents with solid tumors (including brain cancers).

PIN News

Patient Advocate Spotlight: Gavin Lindberg

Gavin Lindberg is President and Co-Founder of The EVAN Foundation, a nonprofit organization he and his wife, Wendy, established in 2011 in memory of their son Evan, who lost his four-year battle with neuroblastoma at age seven.

Gavin joined PIN as a Patient Advocate in 2023 and has actively participated in PIN activities, including regularly providing updates at PIN meetings and contributing his experience and perspectives as a parent and longtime advocate. Through this engagement, Gavin works closely with PIN investigators to help ensure that the experiences and priorities of children with cancer and their families are represented in the Network’s discussions and activities. He also helps inform PIN efforts on research and the development of better and more effective immunotherapies for children with cancer. 

Gavin believes immunotherapy holds great promise for improving outcomes and reducing toxicities in pediatric malignancies. He shares PIN's dedication to developing novel therapies for pediatric solid tumors. Evan was a pioneer in pediatric cancer immunotherapy, enrolling in two early phase clinical trials that helped pave the way for future patients. Gavin views his advocacy as a continuation of Evan's fight.

Contacts for PIN

For additional information about PIN, please contact Dr. Yin Liu and Dr. Lillian Kuo in DCB or Dr. Anju Singh and Dr. Marco Cardone in DCTD. 

Funded Projects

InstitutionPrincipal Investigator(s)Project Title
St. Jude Children's Research HospitalHongbo Chi, Jiyang YuEnabling Immunotherapy for High-Risk Group 3 Medulloblastoma via Systems Immunology
St. Jude Children's Research HospitalStephen C. Mack, Giedre Krenciute, Timothy N. PhoenixTargeting Tumor and T Cell DNA Methylomes to Improve CAR T Cell Therapies for Diffuse Midline Glioma
StanfordCrystal Mackall, Sabine HeitzenederAttacking the Immunopeptidome of Ewing Sarcoma
Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteRobbie G. Majzner, Kimberly StegmaierImmunotherapeutic Targeting of Gangliosides in Ewing Sarcoma
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia John M. Maris, Stephen P. SchoenbergerPersonalized Neuroblastoma Vaccines
Seattle Children's Hospital James M. Olson, Vandana KaliaBispecific Antibody Therapeutics for Neuroblastoma and Diffuse Midline Glioma

 

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