Science & Medicine News JULY-SEPTEMBER 2026
QUARTERLY REPORT: Q1FY27 | PREPARED BY STR ATEGIC COMMUNICATION, EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH
Contents
16
4
10
Contents 4 St. Jude in the Spotlight
14 Trainees at Work
8 Feature: Developmental Biology Provides Clues to Disease
16 Feature: Finding New Ways to Attack Treatment-Resistant Cancers
10 Voices of Sickle Cell Research & Care
18 Sharing Science: SIOP 2026
11 Leaders in Conversation
20 Talking About Trends
12 Feature: How Molecular Organization Controls Cellular Function
22 Awards & Honors
2 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
Introduction From foundational science illuminating how cells develop, organize, and malfunction, to bold new approaches targeting cancers that have long evaded treatment, this quarter our researchers continued to advance discovery in science and medicine. This period also highlighted a landmark leadership transition, which sets the stage for the next era of the institution, while national recognition reaffirmed the quality pediatric cancer care provided at St. Jude. Leveraging outreach opportunities, earned media placements, and social media all enhanced our scientists’ and clinicians’ ability to shape the conversations driving their fields forward. This report reflects a sample of that work and the people behind it.
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St. Jude in the Spotlight
SPOTLIGHT:
Charles W.M. Roberts MD, PhD an internationally recognized physician-scientist, named president and CEO of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
4 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
On Aug. 18, Charles W.M. Roberts, MD, PhD, was announced as the new president and CEO of St. Jude. The announcement follows the announcement that James R. Downing, MD, will step down from the role in December of this year.
MEDIA COVERAGE:
The Associated Press was granted an exclusive interview with Roberts ahead of the announcement, and they covered the story on their homepage. This was followed by multiple day-of and follow-up interviews with Memphis media as well as coverage in some biomedical industry publications.
#1 post
in the past 90 days
Top Performer this calendar year
on St. Jude Research social platforms
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St. Jude in the Spotlight
SPOTLIGHT:
U.S. News & World Report TOP
3 Best Hospitals for Pediatric Cancer
6 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
U.S. News & World Report ranked St. Jude in the top three on its list of Best Children’s Hospitals in the cancer category. St. Jude has been ranked annually since the list was created in 2008. The latest ranking reinforces St. Jude as a trusted partner for families and referring clinicians when a child needs specialized care and access to clinical trials. The ranking was pitched to outlets in the local markets where St. Jude has affiliate clinics (Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri and Oklahoma). Nationally, the news was shared by Becker’s Hospital Review.
MEDIA COVERAGE:
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Developmental biology provides clues to disease
FEATURE
Developmental biology P R OV I D ES CLUE S TO DISE A S E Researchers from the Department of Developmental Neurobiology are uncovering how the development and organization of cells, tissues and neural circuits shape normal biology and influence disease. Across studies of brain tumors, organ development, anxiety and movement, researchers are revealing fundamental biological mechanisms that could point to new ways to understand and treat disease.
Stories featured by:
8 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
Region-specific development of diffuse midline glioma Nature Communications | Scientists revealed how regional differences in brain development influence cellular responses to mutations, helping explain why diffuse midline glioma develops in specific areas of the brain.
Sonic hedgehog signaling in heart and lung development Nature Communications | Scientists identified how changes in receptor activity regulate Sonic hedgehog signaling differently across tissues during heart and lung development.
C1 neurons and prolonged fear and anxiety Neuron | Researchers mapped a neurological pathway involved in prolonged fear and anxiety-like responses, revealing a potential target for future therapeutic approaches.
Single-cell atlas of spinal neurons and rhythmic movement Nature Communications | Creation of a singlecell atlas provides insight into the spinal neurons controlling rhythmic movement and identifies potential targets for spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative disease research.
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Voices Of Sickle Cell and Research Care
VOICES OF
Sickle Cell
Research & Care
During Sickle Cell Awareness Month, Akshay Sharma, MBBS, MSc, explained sickle cell disease treatments and how St. Jude is leading innovation in gene editing on the Rolling Out podcast.
Premature blood stem cell aging in sickle cell disease may be reversible Andrew Heitzer, PhD, was interviewed
Science Translational Medicine | St. Jude
on WLOK radio about his work on better
researchers found that blood stem cells from
understanding the experience of patients
individuals 6-23 years of age with sickle cell
with sickle cell disease and how physicians
disease had many markers of aging, but giving
can work to improve care.
drugs that target senescence improved blood stem cell function, opening a new field of study to improve sickle cell disease treatment.
10 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
Leadership Moment: Emily Tonorezos
When St. Jude offered me the opportunity, it was an absolute no-brainer. The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study are treasured resources for childhood cancer survivorship research. For anyone passionate about survivorship and committed to this population, St. Jude is the place to be. EMILY TONOREZOS, MD, MPH Incoming Division of Cancer Survivorship Director and Department of Oncology Member
Featured in 5 Questions stjude.org/progress
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How molecular organization controls cellular function
FEATURE
How molecular organization controls cellular function
Discoveries of structure and mechanistic function continue to illuminate new aspects of previously established areas of biology. Research from scientists in the Department of Structural Biology unveiled new structures that offer advanced insight ranging from how cellular processes are organized and operate to how mutations can disrupt structural shifts, leading to disease. Advances in the understanding of disease-forming cellular processes are being led by studies that seek to unveil the cellular structures that inform behavior and our previous understanding of disease biology.
Stories featured by:
12 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
SPOP “double-donut” structure Molecular Cell | Scientists discovered that the protein SPOP shifts between an inactive double-donut and an active filament assembly and can become disrupted by cancer mutations, providing mechanistic insight into SPOP regulation and its role in disease.
Restoring the silenced Friedreich’s ataxia gene Nature Cell Biology | In results that challenge the ‘on’ or ‘off’ binary of histone modification behavior, investigators found that under certain conditions, histone packaging acts more as molasses than a solid, letting gene-activating proteins permeate the packaging and reach the silenced gene underneath, behavior that activates the gene frataxin — normally silenced in Friedreich’s ataxia — in the process.
Nucleolus sub-compartments drive ribosome assembly Molecular Cell | Researchers unearthed unprecedented levels of cellular organization to reveal three new subcompartments in the nucleolus that spontaneously complete the final steps of ribosome assembly, offering novel insight into how diseases, such as cancer, can arise from ribosome overactivity. Cryo-EM reveals mechanism behind transport of a key vascular protein Nature Communications | Researchers uncovered the mechanism behind a fundamental process in blood homeostasis by revealing the structure of transporter protein MFSD2B and how it moves sphingosine-1phosphate from red blood cells and platelets to plasma, a finding that can be used to inform therapeutics for conditions ranging from autoimmune diseases to cancer.
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Trainees at Work
TRAINEES
at
WORK
Postdocs featured in The Scientist
Three St. Jude postdoctoral research associates were interviewed by The Scientist, a publication that focuses on the study of cell and molecular biology, genetics and other life science specialties.
Amin Mannan, PhD, a postdoc
Kelly Pimenta, PhD, a postdoc
Sarah Gregor, PhD, a postdoc in
in the Department of Pharmacy
in the Department of Global
the Center for Leukemia Studies,
& Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Pediatric Medicine, discussed
discussed her work on inherited
discussed navigating early
how to improve sustainable
blood disorders, such as beta-
career science.
laboratory practices.
thalassemia and sickle cell disease.
14 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
STEMM student shares St. Jude connection Nearly 40 years after her mother arrived at St. Jude as a 13-yearold patient, Hannah Loden stepped onto campus as a student in the 2026 High School Research Immersion Program, spending eight weeks working alongside researchers in the Department of Radiology.
Education & Training website launches St. Jude is shaping the future of research and healthcare by equipping students, trainees and professionals with the necessary skills to join the biomedical workforce.
Learn more at stjude.org/ education-training.
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Finding new ways to attack treatment-resistant cancers
FEATURE
Finding new ways to attack treatment-resistant cancers With more advanced tools, cancer research is moving toward more precise and targeted approaches to improve treatment. By uncovering the molecular details of cellular pathways in both cancer cells and the immune cells that eliminate them, St. Jude researchers are finding new opportunities to overcome limitations in existing treatments. Some of the largest online medical news and research websites covered these releases, greatly amplifying the potential audience and underscoring the importance of St. Jude research to advancing understanding of cancers and improving their treatment.
Stories featured by:
16 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
Inhibiting menin to treat myeloproliferative neoplasms Cancer Cell | Researchers found that menin inhibition significantly extended survival, normalized blood cell counts and improved fibrosis in preclinical models.
Removing an immune “brake” improves CAR T– cell therapy for osteosarcoma Cell Reports Medicine | Findings show that chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells missing the gene Regnase-1, which normally acts as a “brake” on immune function, were not affected by the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and were better able to clear cancer cells.
Targeting RBM5 / MBNL1 Science Advances & Leukemia | Scientists uncovered that the RNA-binding proteins RBM5 and MBNL1 perform critical roles in KMT2Arearranged leukemias, offering new therapeutic opportunities to explore in these childhood cancers that often have poor prognosis.
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Sharing Science: SIOP 2026
SHARING
SCIENCE International Society of
Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) September 15–18, San Antonio, TX, USA The SIOP annual congress brings together clinicians, researchers and other leaders from around the world to advance research and care for children and adolescents with cancer. St. Jude attends SIOP to strengthen its role
tal
St. Jude Children's Research Hospi 119,768 followers
g multiple presenters A survivorship research recap featurin g Caitlyn Duffy.. see more and an ARIA Guide video featurin
as a global partner in pediatric cancer, build relationships with clinicians and institutions, and connect new collaborators with St. Jude programs and resources that can help improve care worldwide. Andrew Davidoff, MD, Department of Surgery Chair, shared lessons from a quarter-century of kidney-sparing surgery in his keynote address. Michael McNeil, MD, MPH, director of the St. Jude Global Palliative Care Program, received the 2026 SIOP North America Rising Star Award. eCancer requested interviews with Caitlyn Duffy, MD, MPH, and Dhwani Babla, MPH, on their poster presentations at SIOP.
2,593 Video views
A survivorship research recap featuring multiple presenters and an ARIA Guide video featuring Caitlyn Duffy, MD, MPH.
18 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
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Talking About Trends
Talking ABOUT Trends Vaccination Diego Hijano, MD, provided commentary to Healio about the effectiveness of Clesrovimab in protecting infants up to age 2 against RSV. Hijano also spoke to Becker’s about the importance of maintaining existing vaccination schedules for children after executive orders changing the schedules were announced this summer.
Bird Flu Richard Webby, PhD, continues to provide commentary about the dangers H5N1 avian flu poses to domestic birds and mammals, most recently in The Guardian.
20 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Paul Yi, MD, discussed the benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence in the radiology field in Smithsonian. Additionally, Christoph Gorgulla, PhD, published a paper in Nature Biotechnology focusing on how machine learning can screen molecules for effectiveness in targeting specific types of cancer.
Gene Editing Shengdar Tsai, PhD, is leading a team of researchers in an ARPA-H funded project called DRIVE (Delivering Rare Disease In Vivo Editors) to develop an in vivo therapeutic genome editing platform for bone marrow failure disorders. He spoke with the Memphis Business Journal and FOX13.
Antibiotic Resistance Jason Rosch, PhD, published a paper in Cell Host & Microbe that found an RNA–based survival strategy that allows bacteria to withstand antibiotics, which has implications for infectious disease treatment.
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Awards & Honors
James R. Downing, MD Received the Memphis Business Journal’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award: Health Care Heroes Awards James R. Downing, MD, president and CEO, received the Memphis Business Journal’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the annual Health Care Heroes Awards. Downing was also listed in Becker’s Hospital Review annual roster of great leaders in healthcare.
22 | SCIENCE AND MEDICINE NEWS
Amar Gajjar, MD Amar Gajjar, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatric Medicine, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology.
Dale June, RN After nearly 46 years at St. Jude, Dale June, RN, retired in August from the institution that shaped her entire professional life.
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