"I am honored to be one of the first Sontag Foundation grantees. The Distinguished Scientist Award was my very first basic research grant and I will be forever grateful that the Foundation recognized my potential as a basic scientist to make a difference in the field."

About DSA-Funded Research

Dr. Kenney's research focuses on cell cycle control in cerebellar development and medulloblastoma, a pediatric brain tumor that arises in the cerebellum. These tumors are the most common solid malignancy of childhood. Current treatments for medulloblastomas include surgical resection, chemotherapy, and cranio-spinal irradiation. These therapies lead to a 60% "cure" rate, but survivors are left with lifelong devastating side effects as a result of these treatments, including cognitive declines, seizures, developmental delays, and premature aging. By gaining increased insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive tumor establishment and growth, it is Dr. Kenney's hope to identify genes and proteins whose activity could in the future be modulated by drugs and novel small molecules, thereby ameliorating the need for irradiation and chemotherapy.