What if we could turn the genetic mutations that cause childhood tumors into targets for life saving treatments?
Meet Dr. D. Wade Clapp, chair of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine and physician‑in‑chief at Riley Children's Health, who has spent his career answering that question. A neonatologist and physician scientist, he leads NIH‑funded research on genetic diseases that predispose babies and children to cancer.
In 2008, his team discovered the first effective therapy for tumors associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a breakthrough for conditions once deemed to be untreatable. That work laid the groundwork for targeted drugs like Gleevec and selumetinib.
Dr. Clapp now leads a $11.4 million National Cancer Institute (NCI) Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant focused on developing new treatments for NF1‑related tumors. His dedication to collaboration and mentorship have been recognised with some of the highest honours in medicine, including his election to the National Academy of Medicine and receipt of the Children’s Tumor Foundation Friedrich von Recklinghausen Award, among numerous other distinctions.
As a co-founder in the Crossroads Pediatric Device Consortium, Dr. Wade Clapp applies his expertise to accelerate innovation for children. By turning laboratory discoveries into clinical breakthroughs, Dr. Clapp’s work contributed to the FDA’s first approved therapy for neurofibromatosis, showing that targeted treatments for rare pediatric diseases are within reach.
🔗 To learn more, visit the Crossroads Pediatric Device Consortium: https://lnkd.in/gTEiB9Ei
Meet Dr. D. Wade Clapp
