Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Following an Executive Order by President Trump, HHS will increase funding of data-centered pediatric cancer research.
This image depicts HHV-8 Latency-Associated Nuclear Antigen (LANA) expression in an immunohistochemical (IHC) stain of a Kaposi sarcoma (KS) biopsy. The biopsy was obtained from the lymph node of a pediatric patient in Malawi. LANA is identified by dark red staining of the nuclei, and the LANA-negative nuclei are counterstained blue with hematoxylin. The KS cells display a classic spindle cell phenotype, with disruption of the lymph node architecture. Examination of IHC markers from patient samples allows us to correlate findings with clinical data and improve patient outcomes. 200X magnification.
Imaging and histochemistry by Anthony B. Eason, lab of Dirk Dittmer, University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced a doubling of funding for its Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The funding surge is designed to accelerate the development of improved diagnostics, treatments, and prevention strategies.
President Trump in 2019 established the CCDI to collect, generate, and analyze childhood cancer data. Its budget will rise from $50 million to $100 million, giving the federal government stronger data for this effort. The initiative will also bring in private-sector partners to apply advanced artificial intelligence to speed up cures for pediatric cancer.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Director Anthony Letai joined President Trump at the White House today to discuss their commitment to eradicating childhood cancer and to mark the signing of the president’s executive order, Unlocking Cures for Pediatric Cancer with Artificial Intelligence.
“For too long, families have fought childhood cancer while our systems lagged behind,” said Secretary Kennedy. “President Trump is changing that. We will harness American innovation in artificial intelligence to find cures for pediatric cancer.”
“We are dedicated to using every innovative method and technology at our disposal in our fight against childhood cancer,” said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. “By doubling down on this mission with AI, we are ensuring that state-of-the-art science is being leveraged to provide answers about these diseases that would otherwise be out of reach.”
“Our efforts have helped us learn from every child and better understand childhood cancer, reduce its risk, develop better treatments, and improve survivorship for children, teens and young adults with cancer,” said NCI Director Anthony Letai, M.D., Ph.D., who was sworn in on Sept. 29, 2025. “I cannot think of a better way to begin my tenure at NCI than to redouble our efforts to support our youngest patients and their families facing rare leukemias and other cancers. We will not stop until childhood cancer is a thing of the past.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will use artificial intelligence to maximize the potential for electronic health record and claims data to inform research and clinical trial design. Parents will remain in control of their child’s health information as the data is used to benefit patients and researchers.
The president’s Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Strategy Report directs HHS to “focus on research that harnesses AI to uncover causes, identify risks early, and take action in childhood and young adulthood to prevent cancer.” Pediatric cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death for children in the United States, and its incidence has increased by more than 40% since 1975.
About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH’s efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of people with cancer. NCI supports a wide range of cancer research and training extramurally through grants and contracts. NCI’s intramural research program conducts innovative, transdisciplinary basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological research on the causes of cancer, avenues for prevention, risk prediction, early detection, and treatment, including research at the NIH Clinical Center—the world’s largest research hospital. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at https://www.cancer.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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