MIB Agents OsteoBites and osTEAo

Bio

Osteosarcoma Webinar Series: Brian Ladle, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Oncology and Pediatrics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, joins us on OsteoBites to discuss deciphering the impact of STING agonists on the tumor microenvironment in osteosarcoma.

We have learned that more engagement of the immune system and osteosarcoma results in better outcomes - even when patients are given standard chemotherapy. We have found that drugs that activate the STING pathway in osteosarcoma tumors result in greater immune cell invasion into the tumors. This corresponds with improved outcomes when combined with chemotherapy and other immunotherapies. Dr. Ladle will discuss these findings and what steps we are taking to bring this closer to clinical trials for osteosarcoma patients.

Dr. Brian Ladle is a pediatric oncologist, sarcoma specialist, and immunotherapy researcher at Johns Hopkins University. His research centers around the goal of generating potent immune responses against pediatric sarcoma tumors - especially osteosarcoma. Ongoing projects encompass preclinical work using osteosarcoma mouse models and osteosarcoma clinical trials in both dogs and humans. He really believes immunotherapy approaches can be effective against osteosarcoma and will become a key piece to "Make It Better" for osteosarcoma patients.

Dating after cancer is… complicated. Scars, body changes, medical baggage - it’s not exactly the stuff of rom-coms. In The Fault in Our Scars, OsteoWarriors Elise, Gillian, Matthew, Mia, and Sammy, get real (and a little irreverent) about navigating first dates, deciding when to drop the “I had cancer” bomb, and handling everything from awkward silences to partners who totally miss the mark.

They share the bad (ghosting, weird comments, dating-app disasters), the good (finding people who actually get it), and the surprising moments that make it all worth it. It’s a candid, funny, and sometimes brutally honest look at love, relationships, and self-acceptance when cancer is part of your story.

Osteosarcoma Webinar Series: Amanda Marinoff, MD, a physician-scientist from UCSF will discuss clinical biomarkers for osteosarcoma stratification (cBOSS): Insights from a working group.
Despite decades of research, osteosarcoma remains one of the few pediatric cancers without validated molecular biomarkers to guide treatment. The Clinical Biomarkers for Osteosarcoma Stratification (cBOSS) initiative is an international effort to change that. Modeled after a successful framework in Ewing sarcoma, cBOSS convened experts from North America and Europe to systematically evaluate emerging molecular features with the greatest potential for near-term clinical translation. Through a series of structured sessions, the group assessed the biological plausibility, clinical relevance, and implementation feasibility of candidate classifiers across five domains: genomic, transcriptomic, epigenetic, immune, and circulating analytes. This webinar will provide an overview of the cBOSS approach, key findings to date, including the maturity of circulating tumor DNA and MYC amplification as prognostic tools, and the path forward for incorporating molecular stratification into future clinical trials. The goal: to move beyond one-size-fits-all therapy and build a precision medicine framework for osteosarcoma.
Dr. Amanda Marinoff is a pediatric oncologist and translational researcher at UCSF, where she focuses on developing molecular biomarkers to improve risk stratification and treatment for children and young adults with osteosarcoma. She co-leads the international cBOSS initiative (Clinical Biomarkers for Osteosarcoma Stratification), which brings together experts across North America and Europe to evaluate and prioritize emerging classifiers for clinical use. Her research aims to bridge the gap between genomic discovery and therapeutic application, advancing precision medicine approaches for patients with high-risk disease. Dr. Marinoff earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed her pediatrics residency at Boston Children's Hospital, and completed her pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. She is an active member of the pediatric solid tumor and early-phase clinical trials groups at UCSF.

Osteosarcoma Webinar Series: Karen E. Pollok, PhD, and Pankita H. Pandya, PhD, from the Indiana University School of Medicine, join us on OsteoBites to discuss their work exploring CDK4/6i, particularly in the context of BET inhibition, as a therapeutic option for pediatric OS, regardless of RB status.
Hyperactivation of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) has been identified as an actionable molecular signature in pediatric and AYA OS patients at the Indiana University School of Medicine and others. While targeting CDK4/6 has shown promise in significantly reducing tumor progression in many cancers, resistance to CDK4/6 inhibition remains a challenge. To maximize CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) efficacy, a combination therapy will likely be required to mitigate emergence of resistance. Moreover, retinoblastoma proficiency (RB+) has been used as a biomarker to predict response and stratify patients for treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors in other cancers. This is concerning in the context of OS, since over 70% of OS patients harbor a retinoblastoma deficiency (RB-). Therefore, validation of RB as a biomarker of therapeutic response to CDK4/6 inhibition in OS is needed. The lab's objective in these investigations is to identify rational drug combinations that enhance efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibition, and test prioritized combinations in both RB+ and RB- OS models. Their findings support further exploration of CDK4/6i, particularly in the context of BET inhibition, as a therapeutic option for pediatric OS, regardless of RB status.
Dr. Pollok is the Associate Director of Basic Science and Director of the Preclinical Modeling and Therapeutics Shared Resource Facility for the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center (IUSCCC). Dr. Pollok works with cancer research laboratories in the IUSCCC to enhance programmatic science focused on translation to the clinic. In her own lab, she leads a team-oriented research program that brings together basic scientists and clinicians focused on finding cures for aggressive cancers such as sarcomas and brain tumors. Her team utilizes multi-omics data to prioritize the testing of novel combination therapies and has developed over 60 tumor models from pediatric and adolescent patients treated at the Riley Hospital for Children IU Health. In collaboration with Dr. Pankita Pandya and the Pediatric Precision Genomics Program, they employ multi-omics data from these models to focus on testing new molecularly-guided targeted therapies. Their goal is to understand the mechanisms behind therapy-mediated tumor efficacy and emerging resistance.
Dr. Pandya is heavily involved in translational team science, where she works in partnership with the Pediatric Precision Genomics Program at the Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, as well as under the mentorship of Dr. Karen E. Pollok at the Herman B Wells Center. Her research initiatives involve testing novel targeted therapies for improving therapeutic outcomes while minimizing toxicity in pediatric and young adult solid cancers like sarcomas. As a genomics data scientist, she has training in multi-omics data management and mining. Additionally, Dr. Pandya has extensive expertise in in-vivo modeling of aggressive pediatric sarcomas. Such skillsets have enabled Dr. Pandya to identify risk signatures, biomarkers of therapeutic response, and other clinically-relevant therapeutic vulnerabilities in pediatric sarcoma patients for functional validation using molecularly characterized preclinical models that our translational team has developed.

In this powerful new episode of osTEAo, our AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) cancer community gets real about toxic positivity - the idea that you have to "stay positive" no matter what you're going through, and while it's often well-meaning, it can leave patients feeling unseen, isolated, and emotionally shut down.

In this candid and emotional conversation, OsteoWarriors share how constant encouragement to be upbeat, especially during chemotherapy, surgeries, or major life changes can invalidate their real struggles.

The conversation dives into what it means to truly support someone with cancer, not by “fixing” their mood but by offering thoughtful accommodations, inclusion without pressure, and support that meets people where they really are.

Kelly Faulk, MD, a pediatric oncologist at Children's Hospital Colorado Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, joins us on OsteoBites to review the open phase 1/1b clinical trial evaluating the combination of losartan and sunitinib in the treatment of pediatric and adult patients with relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma (NCT03900793), including preclinical rationale from canine clinical trials and the trial's design, eligibility, and status.
Dr. Kelly Faulk is a pediatric oncologist at Children's Hospital Colorado Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, where her clinical and research focus is the development of early-phase clinical trials to investigate promising new agents for high-risk pediatric cancers. She is on the Experimental Therapeutics Program (ETP) team and serves as the leader of the High-Risk Leukemia/Lymphoma Program. She has developed and leads several early-phase clinical trials and serves as site principal investigator for numerous others. She completed her medical training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, did her pediatric residency and pediatric hematology/oncology/bone marrow transplant fellowship at Children's Hospital Colorado, and also completed an additional fellowship in Experimental Therapeutics at Children's Hospital Colorado. She met her wonderful husband Wade in medical school, and they have 3 great kids who keep them busy.

OsteoBites welcomes Yingqi Hua, MD from Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine to discuss his work on molecular subtyping of osteosarcoma, ecDNA, and more.
Dr. Hua has been engaged in basic and clinical research of malignant bone tumors for more than 10 years, focusing on the individualized comprehensive treatment of advanced bone tumors, and is committed to transforming research results through clinical research. His research interests include 1. Multi-omics study of osteosarcoma: Multi-omics analysis identifies osteosarcoma subtypes with distinct prognosis indicating stratified treatment. 2. Epigenetic study of bone tumors: the function of histone mutation and the function of different histone methylation modification. 3. Drug screen: Screening sensitive drugs by patient derived xenograft(PDX) and explore the mechanism of drug action. 4. Clinical trial of advanced stage sarcomas based on precision medicine.

In this special Mother's Day edition of osTEAo, Mia, Sammy, and Elise open up about a topic that’s often left unspoken but is profoundly personal—fertility and infertility within the AYA cancer community. With honesty and vulnerability, they share their experiences navigating fertility challenges in the wake of a cancer diagnosis, including the emotional strain of tough conversations with family members, the often-overlooked financial barriers to parenthood, and the mental and emotional load that comes with planning for a future that feels uncertain.

They dive deep into what it means to grieve lost possibilities, celebrate alternative paths to building a family, like adoption or being a meaningful figure in a child’s life, and explore how cancer reshapes the ways we think about legacy, impact, and nurturing others. This episode isn’t just about biology; it’s about identity, agency, and finding power through knowledge and community.

Whether you're grappling with fertility decisions, supporting someone who is, or simply seeking space to feel seen and understood, this conversation offers comfort, courage, and connection. Tune in and be reminded: you’re not alone, your voice matters, and there's strength in sharing the journey.

Read more about the fertility issues facing AYA cancer patients, in an interview with MIB Agents Junior Advisory Board president Sammy and vice president, Mackenzie.  

Matteo Trucco, MD, pediatric oncologist, Director of the Children’s Cancer Innovative Therapy program at the Cleveland Clinic, and chair of the MIB Agents Scientific Advisory Board joins us on OsteoBites to provide a preview of the FACTOR 2025 scientific panels in lay person terms with a brief overview of vocabulary and terms as a helpful resource for patients and families attending our FACTOR 2025 conference.

FACTOR 2025 registration is now open! Join us June 26-28th in Salt Lake City. 

Check out the Scientific Program

Register for FACTOR

There is a discounted conference room block at the beautiful Grand America Hotel. Book your room.

We have a limited number of FACTOR Travel Awards for OsteoWarrriors to attend. OsteoWarriors must be nominated by a healthcare provider. More info on eligibility and guidelines.

Brian Flesner, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology), discusses the recently opened clinical trial studying an Autologous Cancer Vaccine with Checkpoint Inhibitor for the Treatment of Canine Osteosarcoma.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of K9-ACV, an autologous killed tumor cell vaccine combined with a novel checkpoint inhibitor (CD200AR-L), compared to standard-of-care chemotherapy for the treatment of canine appendicular osteosarcoma (OSA). K9-ACV has safely been used in over 1,000 dogs, and the vaccine has been shown to display safety in a previous study (without the addition of the checkpoint inhibitor). By evaluating K9-ACV, this trial aims to advance safer, immune-based treatment options for canine cancer that may offer comparable or superior outcomes to chemotherapy.
Find more information about this study:
https://studypages.com/s/autologous-cancer-vaccine-with-checkpoint-inhibitor-for-treatment-of-canine-osteosarcoma-565406/
Adrienne Wright, [email protected], +1 (859) 619-5893