Byersdorfer Lab Receives Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation Awards Grant to Further Cancer Research
February 24, 2024
This story was originally written by and appeared on the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation website. It is featured here with minor modifications. You can also watch a video of Dr. Byersdorfer on their website.
Named for legendary golfer and Latrobe native Arnold Palmer and his wife, Winnie, the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation is committed to making a difference in the lives of children and families. The foundation continues the Palmer tradition of impactful leadership by championing causes that benefit kids, including pediatric health care.
The foundation’s 2023 grant to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh supports the work of Craig Byersdorfer, MD, PhD. A physician-scientist in the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dr. Byersdorfer studies immune cell metabolism. While emerging immunotherapies have the potential to revolutionize treatment for kids battling cancer, outcomes are not consistent for all patients. To improve immune-based therapies, Dr. Byersdorfer and his team want to understand how the nutrient and energy pathways used by immune cells impact their anti-cancer performance.
The generous grant allocated by the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation will advance the Byersdorfer Lab’s efforts to modify nutrient and energy pathways to increase the immune system’s ability to effectively target and kill cancer cells as well as prevent the cancer from coming back.
Our deepest thanks to the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation and its “Arnie’s Army” of supporters for giving more kids the chance to live a Life Well Played!
Learn more about Dr. Byersdorfer and his lab’s research.
