A $50 million commitment from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital aims to fund “transformational projects” generated by the institution’s staff.
The pledge by St. Jude is leveraging its Blue-Sky initiative, which seeks to prompt its employees and faculty to push forward bold ideas.
St. Jude staffers have created a dozen prior Blue-Sky projects, which collectively have been granted over $188 million in funds since the initiative was launched in 2017. Such endeavors have focused on fundamental science, critical patient care needs, and administration.
“In the past, these ideas have created important initiatives such as the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine and the Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative,” St. Jude president and CEO Dr. James Downing said in a press release. “We look forward to the impact these most recent Blue-Sky projects will have on furthering the mission of St. Jude, advancing the field of pediatric medicine, and improving global child health.”
The Blue-Sky initiative allows for moving forward ideas and projects that aren’t a part of its five-year strategic plan. St. Jude is operating under its $12.9 billion Strategic Plan 2022–27, which supports new areas of research and 2,300 additional jobs, with $2.3 billion earmarked for new construction, renovation, and capital needs.
Other Blue-Sky projects have included the expansion of the St. Jude Cloud; the HPV Cancer Prevention Program; the Family Commons; and utilizing the powerful insights from the hospital’s ultra-high field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) center.
“The Blue-Sky process results in many of the world-changing ideas that St. Jude is proud to foster and contribute to the understanding and treatment of catastrophic pediatric diseases,” Shari Capers, SVP of strategic planning and decision support, said in the release.
The current cohort of six Blue-Sky projects could create more than 50 new jobs at St. Jude.
Those projects are:
PTNI Genomic Medicine Initiative (GEMINI)
Details: Bringing innovative precision medicine approaches into the clinic to treat patients with neurological disorders as part of the Pediatric Translational Neuroscience Initiative (PTNI)
Idea by: Dr. Richard Finkel, M.D., Center for Experimental Neurotherapeutics; Peter McKinnon, Ph.D., Center for Pediatric Neurological Disorders Research; Kristin Stephenson, PTNI Office of Strategy and Alliances; and Dr. J. Paul Taylor, Ph.D., St. Jude scientific director
Partnership to Advance Development of Individualized Genomic Medicines (PARADIGM)
Details: Using individualized genome editing to correct blood disease-causing mutations in patients’ own hematopoietic stem cells
Idea by: Dr. Mitch Weiss, Ph.D., Department of Hematology chair; Shengdar Tsai, Ph.D., Hematology; Dr. Marcin Wlodarski, Ph.D., Hematology; and Senthil Bhoopalan, Ph.D., instructor, Hematology
Tracking the Immune Repertoire of Tumor Lymphocytes (TIRTL)
Details: Generating, storing, and analyzing immune receptor repertoire data from pediatric oncology and hematology patients that would help improve the efficiency of protocols and the development of cancer immune therapies
Idea by: Paul Thomas, Ph.D., Department of Immunology
Strategic Milestones and Research Training (SMaRT) Plan for Career Advancement Program
Details: Addressing the career challenges that many postdocs face by providing them focused and structured training plans, mentorship, and career development opportunities
Idea by: Sally McIver, Ph.D., Academic Programs
St. Jude Historical Archive
Details: Creating a historical repository that would establish a uniform approach to collecting, preserving, and documenting the institution’s past and legacy.
Idea by: Elizabeth Whittington and Summer Freeman, executive communications; and Robert Britton, Biomedical Library
Diagnostic Innovations using Value-based implementation models to Increase Access (DIVIA)
Details: Assessing the potential of a molecular diagnostic platform that can be used globally for children with cancer to improve clinical outcomes worldwide
Idea by: Dr. Nickhill Bhakta, director of Sub-Saharan Africa Region, St. Jude Global; Dr. Charles Mullighan, deputy director, St. Jude Cancer Center; Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, EVP/chair, St. Jude Global; Dr. David Ellison, Ph.D., chair, Department of Pathology; Gang Wu, Ph.D., director, Center for Applied Bioinformatics
