Barisic lab has received a research grant from The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation for the project "Precision Epigenetic Therapies for Pediatric Burkitt Lymphoma." Burkitt lymphoma is among the fastest growing childhood cancers and children who relapse have very few treatment options. More than half of pediatric cases carry mutations in the BAF complex, which normally controls how DNA is packaged and which genes are switched on.
The project tests whether these mutations, combined with chronic inflammation, push immune cells into repeated cycles of growth and mutation that set the stage for lymphoma. The grant supports work in engineered pediatric lymphoma models to define how BAF loss and inflammation cooperate, and to test whether pairing BAF inhibitors with anti-inflammatory or immune-based therapies clears tumors more effectively, with a focus on relapsed and high-risk disease.
The B+ Foundation was founded in memory of Andrew McDonough and is the largest provider of financial assistance to families of children with cancer in the United States. It has funded more than 200 childhood cancer research grants selected on the recommendation of its Scientific Advisory Board. Each award provides $75,000 per year over two years.