SPH researcher receives grant to continue work to uncover origins of childhood cancer - School of Public Health

University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH) Assistant Professor Tianzhong Yang, from the Division of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, has received a new grant to continue her research aimed at understanding the genetic mechanism for childhood cancers. Collaborating with her colleagues at the UMN Medical School Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical Research, she has been compiling and analyzing datasets on childhood cancers including hepatoblastoma — the most common type of liver cancer occurring in children, and Ewing sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

Thanks to funding support from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, Yang will continue to research factors that may increase a child’s predisposition for cancer. Specifically, she will build upon the largest genome-wide association study of a rare form of cancer called Ewing sarcoma, which includes 1,640 cases and 8,457 controls. With the new funding, Yang will refine and extend existing analytical pipelines to enhance gene discovery and risk prediction by integrating germline and tumor transcriptomic data.

“This work aims to advance our understanding of the genetic basis of Ewing sarcoma’s onset in children, ultimately supporting efforts in its prevention and treatment,” Yang said.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is dedicated to advancing the fight against childhood cancers by supporting the most promising research initiatives. Yang’s grant is part of the foundation’s newest round of research grants, which total $10 million and support 26 projects aimed at identifying better treatments for childhood cancers.

“I am grateful for the continued support of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation,” Yang said. “St. Baldrick’s has helped me tremendously in my early career as a biostatistician in so many aspects, including supporting my collaboration with the UMN Med School Division of Pediatric Epidemiology and Clinical research and helping provide meaningful mentorship for students in the School of Public Health.”