MIB Agents OsteoBites and osTEAo

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 FACTORThere 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, adrienne@ardentanimalhealth.com, +1 (859) 619-5893

osTEAo co-hosts Mia and Sammy sit down with fellow OsteoWarriors Andrew and Mackenzie for a real, raw, and refreshingly honest convo about FOMO—Fear of Missing Out—as young adult cancer survivors. From missing prom and sports to navigating dating and college with a whole new perspective, these resilient humans get into what it actually feels like to rebuild a life after treatment.They talk about setting boundaries on social media, finding new passions, and surrounding yourself with people who truly get it. They also dive into the hard but vital work of self-advocacy and honest communication.💥 Expect wisdom, laughs, hard truths, and all the inspo. This episode is a must-listen for anyone figuring out how to live fully—even when it looks different than planned.

TJ Utset-Ward, MD, cirujano ortopédico del Nicklaus Children's Hospital, ofrece una descripción general de las opciones quirúrgicas y los avances en el osteosarcoma.El tratamiento del osteosarcoma consiste en una combinación de quimioterapia y cirugía para extirpar el tumor. En la década de 1980, la amputación de extremidades se utilizaba en el 80 % de los casos. Hoy en día, gracias a los avances en las técnicas quirúrgicas, la tecnología y nuestro conocimiento del osteosarcoma, más del 90 % de los casos son susceptibles a una cirugía para preservar la extremidad. Hoy en día, los pacientes y sus familias pueden incluso elegir entre varias opciones, incluyendo reconstrucciones que se adaptan al crecimiento del niño. Analizaremos algunas de estas opciones y cirugías, así como los objetivos y prioridades de la cirugía de osteosarcoma.El Dr. T.J. Utset-Ward es cirujano ortopédico pediátrico especializado en oncología ortopédica pediátrica en el Hospital Infantil Nicklaus. Es cubanoamericano, hispanohablante y nativo de la ciudad de Miami, y se siente honrado de servir a su comunidad como uno de los pocos cirujanos oncológicos ortopédicos del país dedicados exclusivamente al sarcoma pediátrico y adolescente. Obtuvo su título de médico en la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Vanderbilt en Nashville, Tennessee. El Dr. Utset-Ward completó su residencia en cirugía ortopédica en la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Chicago/UChicago en Illinois. Realizó una beca de investigación en oncología musculoesquelética en la Universidad Estatal de Ohio en Columbus, Ohio, y posteriormente amplió su formación con una beca de investigación en oncología ortopédica pediátrica en el Hospital Infantil Nationwide. Sus intereses clínicos y de investigación incluyen sarcomas óseos pediátricos, sarcomas de tejidos blandos, oncología en adolescentes y adultos jóvenes, impresión 3D, implantes y diseños personalizados para cada paciente, salvamento y reconstrucción de extremidades, alargamiento de extremidades, transporte óseo, exosomas y oncología de precisión. El Dr. Utset se ha unido a la comunidad de MiB y espera seguir apoyando los esfuerzos para ayudar a las familias que enfrentan el osteosarcoma. Vive en Miami con su esposa, la pediatra Leah Utset, y sus dos hijos.

The osteosarcoma community has the power to drive change in childhood cancer research! This important OsteoBites episode features Nancy Goodman, JD, Founder & Executive Director of Kids v Cancer, as she discusses how you can help advocate for the Give Kids a Chance Act—a crucial bill aimed at expanding access to novel combination therapies for kids with cancer.The Give Kids a Chance Act is bipartisan legislation that builds on the RACE for Children Act by requiring pharmaceutical companies to evaluate promising multi-drug combinations in pediatric cancers when those drugs are being tested together in adults. Since many of the most effective cancer treatments involve drug combinations, this bill is essential to improving treatment options for children with osteosarcoma and other pediatric cancers.Be a voice for change! Learn actionable ways to support this bill and ensure kids with cancer have access to more innovative therapies.

Dr. Betsy Young, a physician-scientist from UCSF provides an overview of her funded work: Tumor cGAS-STING repression drives immune evasion in osteosarcoma and is therapeutically targetable via host STING activation. This work was funded by an MIB Agents 2024 OutSmarting Osteosarcoma YI Hope grant Because of Charlotte.Osteosarcoma (OS) has an immunosuppressive macrophage-rich, T-cell-depleted tumor microenvironment (TME). By performing bulk RNA seq of OS cell lines treated with STING agonist, the lab has defined an OS-specific STING activation signature, which demonstrated a significant protective effect on survival in OS patient samples. In immunocompetent OS models, systemic STING agonism shows curative anti-tumor effects, shifts the tumor microenvironment towards a pro-inflammatory phenotype, and induces immunologic memory. Importantly, host STING activation is sufficient to promote this anti-tumor immunity. The lab has demonstrated that STING activation has anti-tumor benefit in animal models and a protective effect in the human disease, nominating this innate immune sensing pathway as an important therapeutic target in OS.As a physician-scientist and a pediatric oncologist, Dr. Young's aim is to advance the field of pediatric oncology in her research career focused on the immunobiology of osteosarcoma. She completed her Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship training at UCSF, receiving strong clinical training in high-risk pediatric solid tumors and early-phase clinical trials. Now, as a faculty member, she is investigating the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma metastasis in the Sweet-Cordero lab at UCSF, with a specific focus on immuno-oncology translational therapeutics.

What does accessibility really mean, and how does it impact the daily lives of young adults navigating cancer and disability? In this powerful episode of osTEAo, Accessibility Wins, Fails & WTF Moments, young adult osteosarcoma survivors Mia, Sammy, Isabelle, and Inaaya open up about their personal experiences—shedding light on the challenges of inaccessible environments, the emotional weight of losing independence, and the importance of a strong support system.From navigating airport security and festival layouts to breaking down misconceptions about disability, this conversation is raw, real, and filled with invaluable insights. Tune in to hear firsthand perspectives, candid humor, and practical advice on how to be a better ally to the disabled community.