'Hope on Wheels' awards $100,000 for pediatric oncology research

The Clinical Research Division's Dr. Soheil Meshinchi received a $100,000 Hyundai Hope on Wheels award Sept. 26 during a ceremony at Seattle Children's.
 
Meshinchi, whose primary appointment is at the University of Washington, accepted the check and thanked a gathering of Puget Sound area Hyundai auto dealers for supporting research to combat childhood leukemia. Meshinchi's "Hope on Wheels" grant funds his work at the Hutchinson Center.

"Acute myeloid leukemia is a less common type of leukemia, but it leads to more than half of all leukemic deaths in children," Meshinchi said. "Support from Hyundai Hope on Wheels will directly help us identify novel biomarkers that would become tools in curing AML."

Meshinchi's work revolves around the genetic changes known to be the underlying cause of AML. His lab focuses on identifying mutations, learning how they affect risk in individual patients, and determining how they may be targeted through treatment.

During September—National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month—Hyundai auto dealers contributed $7.1 million in funding for more than 70 hospitals and research centers that support pediatric cancer research or patient programs.

"Hope on Wheels" has committed more than $43 million to childhood cancer research since its inception in 1998.

Watch a video from the awards ceremony at Seattle Children’s.