This episode is another very personal one. My son eight year old son William was diagnosed with medulloblastoma nearly a year ago. He’s since on embarked on an incredible journey of brain surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy – and recently rang the bell completing his treatment right before Thanksgiving.His response to this adversity has been nothing short of amazing and awe-inspiring. His smile and laughter has never ceased, his poise and strength are well-beyond his years, and I’ve chron...
This episode is another very personal one.
My son eight year old son William was diagnosed with medulloblastoma nearly a year ago. He’s since on embarked on an incredible journey of brain surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy – and recently rang the bell completing his treatment right before Thanksgiving.
His response to this adversity has been nothing short of amazing and awe-inspiring. His smile and laughter has never ceased, his poise and strength are well-beyond his years, and I’ve chronicled his story on LinkedIn – where you’ll see his incredible strength and optimism on display.
Along the way, I’ve met some incredible people and world changers. One of those world changers is Dr. Jim Olson from Seattle Children’s.
James M. Olson, MD, PhD, is program director for the Invent at Seattle Children's Postdoctoral Scholars Program, a principal investigator in the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research, and a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
He co-founded three biotechnology companies and has mentored more than 30 graduate students and postdoctoral research fellows. He chaired a national phase III clinical trial for high-risk medulloblastoma patients that led to a 20% improvement in five-year survival for Group 3 patients. Dr. Olson is the principal investigator on multiple projects that focus on developing effective new therapies for pediatric brain tumors; methods that allow surgeons to better visualize the border of brain cancer and normal brain, and the discovery of immunotherapeutics for several cancers.
Dr. Olson’s game changing research in immunotherapy could potentially revolutionize the standard of care as we know it – and has the potential to replace radiation and chemotherapy.
In lab trials, this treatment completely eliminated cancer in 90% of brain tumors that are otherwise universally fatal in children. Mice that received the treatment were alive and disease-free, while the untreated mice died within 18 days.
In this podcast, we discuss his research, next steps for funding and clinical trials – and what this could mean for families moving forward.
Please enjoy this conversation and donate to Dr. Olson's groundbreaking immunotherapy trial here.
View more
