2001

CINCINNATI -- Is it possible that one scourge -- herpes simplex virus -- can be used to kill others, such as certain cancers in children?

A physician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has received a $50,000 grant to find out.

Timothy Cripe, MD, PhD, a physician in the division of Hematology/Oncology, has conducted research in the lab indicating that a mutated version of the herpes simplex virus can kill certain cancer cells. These cells are associated with some malignant tumors that are found in children. The grant will fund further research to test how the virus affects tumors in mice. This research would be necessary before human clinical trials can begin.

The grant comes from the Children's Oncology Group (COG), a National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials cooperative devoted exclusively to childhood and adolescent cancer research. The mission of COG is to cure and prevent childhood and adolescent cancer through scientific discovery and compassionate care.

COG develops and coordinates cancer clinical trials conducted at the 238 member institutions, which include cancer centers of all major universities and teaching hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as sites in Europe and Australia. COG members include more than 5,000 cancer researchers dedicated to saving the lives of children with cancer.

In particular, Dr. Cripe's grant comes from the COG Chair's Development Fund for Translational Research. His was one of six projects funded out of 28 applications.

Translational research refers to the process by which knowledge from the laboratory is translated into human clinical trials of new treatments. Cincinnati Children's this year established a Translational Research Institute to speed up development of pre-clinical and human translational trials. These trials seek to improve the care of children with serious diseases.

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