Clinical trials and cancer

Our MACC Fund Center for cancer and blood disorders clinical trials office (CTO) at Children’s Wisconsin is made up of many team members with different roles and skills. You may see some of the team members in the hospital or clinic while others work behind the scenes.

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Children’s Wisconsin has a long-standing partnership with Versiti Blood Research Institute and the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Division at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) to conduct innovative research dedicated to benefiting our patients and families.  

The MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc.), a Milwaukee based charitable organization, works closely with our Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant Division to fight pediatric cancer and related blood disorders through research funding. Since its inception in 1976, the MACC Fund has contributed over $59 million to pediatric cancer and blood disorder research. This unique and exceptional relationship provides researchers with the resources needed to fight against childhood cancer and related blood disorders.

The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) is a "...combined research program of the National Marrow Donor Program and the Medical College of Wisconsin working to collect and study data on blood and bone marrow transplants worldwide. More than 500 international transplant centers collaborate with the CIBMTR to conduct research studies; collect, maintain, and share outcomes data on more than 300,000 transplant recipients; provide statistical expertise to researchers and provide education, guidelines and training." - Medical College of Wisconsin

The Children’s Research Institute "...advances state-of-the-art pediatric health care through research, finding life-saving discoveries and cures in the diseases that affect children and developing interventions that enhance quality of life for children and families living with chronic health conditions." - Medical College of Wisconsin

The Clinical Immunodiagnostic and Research Laboratory (CIRL) at the Medical College of Wisconsin provides comprehensive diagnostic services and innovative methods to detect, diagnose, and treat immunologic, hematologic and oncologic diseases. Because of its expertise, this lab processes samples from specialists nationwide. 

Through our extensive research program at Children’s, we participate in research developed by our investigators, our partners at leading programs across the country and trials through partnership with pharmaceutical companies. In addition, Children’s participates in trials through multiple consortia:

• The Children’s Oncology Group (COG)
• Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia/Lymphoma (TACL)
• The South Plains Oncology Consortium (SPOC)
• Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR)
• National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)
• Beat Childhood Cancer (BCC)
• Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC)
• Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMTCTN)
• Pediatric Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC)
• Midwest Area Research Consortium for Health (MARCH)

Discoveries in the lab help us understand how cancer and blood disorders start and develop. Although lab research doesn’t involve patients directly, it lays the foundation for new treatments. We use this understanding to create different, better ways of treating and curing cancer and blood disorders.
Children’s Wisconsin researchers work in research facilities in affiliation with:

• Children’s Research Institute on our main campus
• Versiti Blood Research Institute on our main campus
• Labs of our partners – the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital

Researchers aim to find a safe dose, this is referred to as the Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD), decide the best way to give the new treatment or medicine and to see how the new treatment or medicine affects the body (side effects). Phase I trials include a small number of patients.

Researchers aim to determine if the new treatment or medicine has an effect on a specific type of cancer and to determine how the new treatment affects the body (side effects). Phase II trials include a larger number of patients than a Phase I study.

Researchers aim to evaluate whether a new treatment or medicine is more effective than an already approved medicine or treatment. Phase III trials involve large groups of patients.

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