Weili Sun, MD, PhD, a pediatric oncologist at Children's
Hospital Los Angeles, was awarded $75,000 by the Hyundai Hope on
Wheels program. She will use this money to further her research into the
role of epigenetics in cancer. The check was presented at a handprint
ceremony held at The
Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles that was
attended by Hyundai executives, patients, and the actor, BH Lee.
"We applaud the efforts of Hyundai for their commitment to improve the
lives of children now and in the future by supporting the research
career development of faculty such as Dr. Sun with innovative ideas
about the causes of, and new treatments for, childhood cancer," said Brent
Polk, MD, director of The Saban Research Institute.
Sun, a physician in the Children's
Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, said, "The Hope on Wheels
grant will support my efforts to find new and effective therapies for
childhood leukemia. My research is an early phase clinical trial using a
new epigenetic strategy to overcome drug resistance in childhood acute
myeloid leukemia or AML."