Edward Anders Kolb, MD

Research Activities

The children we treat need the most powerful, effective therapies right now – not days, weeks, or months from now. So I’m deeply involved in clinical and translational research, actively seeking to learn as much as possible from each child in our care. Our physicians stay up-to-date on the latest research strategies for kids with cancer, because everything we learn will help others in the future.

The focus of our lab is to identify novel therapies for children with cancer. We recognize the challenges that we face: 1) childhood cancer is a rare and orphan disease; 2) it is difficult to complete clinical trials for rare diseases; 3) drug development is focused on malignancies in adults; 4) we need better treatments for children now. To address all these problems, my lab works with a team of investigators at other institutions around the world to identify those therapies most likely to succeed in children and to prioritize them for clinical development. With more than 60 publications resulting in dozens of clinical trials, we have made great progress. Team science is the model that works. We don’t compete, we cooperate and share.

As a member of the Children’s Oncology Group Scientific Council, Chair of the Myeloid Disease committee, member of the Bone Tumor Committee and member of the Young Investigator Committee, I am in a position to maintain a cutting edge and relevant focus in my lab. We are continually taking results from the bench to bedside and back again; asking those research questions that will have the greatest impact on patient care. Our mission is, simply stated, to find better treatments for childhood cancer. Cure is not impossible with the right teams asking the right questions.

Medical Interests

• Bone marrow failure systems
• Graft vs. host disease
• Retinoblastoma
• Transplant for inherited disorders
• Treatment of non-malignant disorders of the bone marrow and immune system