Pitt Pediatrics congratulates Jessica D. Daley, MD, for being awarded a Young Investigator Award from Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) for her research project titled, “Radiation and the Tumor Microenvironment in an Immunocompetent Model of Ewing Sarcoma.” Daley is an Instructor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology-Oncology, and has received mentorship from Kelly Bailey, MD, PhD, in the Division of General Academic Pediatrics. 
Alex’s Lemonade Stand foundation (ALSF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of children with cancer by funding research, awareness, support for families, and empowering everyone to help cure childhood cancer. The ALSF Young Investigator Award is designed to support the ongoing need for startup funds for less experienced researchers pursuing promising clinical and scientific endeavors.
Daley’s project focuses primarily on improving outcomes for patients with Ewing sarcoma, which is an aggressive bone tumor most commonly diagnosed in teenagers and young adults. And in the cases of metastatic or relapsed Ewing sarcoma, radiation is often employed as part of the treatment strategy, however, that can lead to unpredictable or variable side effects, especially in the immune system. Daley plans on investigating how radiation modulates immune suppression within the tumor with the goal of identifying new ways to improve the efficacy of radiation in the treatment of Ewing tumors.
“I am honored to be a recipient of the ALSF Young Investigator award,” Daley says. “This award will provide me with important funding to move forward my work with the ultimate goal of identifying new therapies for patients with Ewing sarcoma. “
More information on Daley’s project can be found on the ALSF website. Follow Pitt Pediatrics on Twitter and Instagram for future updates on Daley’s work and any forthcoming publications.