Our primary objective is to speed the development of new drugs and therapies for children with cancer. Cincinnati Children's is ranked No. 2 in the nation for pediatric cancer in the U.S. News & World Report 2026-2027 Best Children's Hospitals rankings. 

Our priority research areas are:

1. Cancer and leukemia biology research, with integrated new drug and molecular therapies discovery focused on pediatric malignancies
2. Personalized cancer therapy approaches using tumor molecular signatures and individualized patient pharmacogenomics
3. New gene, viral and cellular therapies
4. Molecular genetics and prevention research to improve outcomes in childhood cancer survivors

In addition to clinical research involving new cancer and transplant therapies, our biology and specimen procurement protocols have provided important leads to guide our research. These priorities guide a broad portfolio of investigator-initiated clinical studies here at Cincinnati Children’s, many of which are the direct extension of basic science research carried out at our institution.

Cincinnati Children’s faculty also developed and lead national clinical trials of novel therapies and transplant approaches.  For more than 50 years, the culture of pediatric oncology has been one of many progressive advances in outcomes through productive national collaborations (e.g., the National Cancer Institute-funded Children’s Oncology Group), and this is a tradition in which we are proud to participate and contribute.