“Mommy, cancer is not hard.”
– Faris D.
Our commitment to childhood cancer research is unique and deeply personal. Our Chief Angel Officer’s words give us clarity on the research we support. Faris’ mommy, Dr. Virani explains our approach is to vet original, bold, and transformative research as “if our child’s life depends on it.”
Our Approach
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Progress in the understanding and treatment of childhood cancer is only possible through a steadfast commitment to research.
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To advance breakthroughs in childhood cancers where outcomes have not changed in decades, we support new paradigms in research and treatment that are safer, less toxic, and more targeted. Our focus is on translational research and bringing clinical trials to the patients that most need it.
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We provide accessible opportunities for the public to interface with and understand the research that we invest in.
Making Research Accessible
one-minute video explainers of groundbreaking research supported by the faris foundation
Clinical Trials
The Faris Foundation is currently supporting two Phase I clinical trials.
Projects, Partners, and Grants
Advancing Cures for Ewing Sarcoma (ACES) Award (2025-2027)
In a powerful act of unity and determination, five mothers—each having lost a child to Ewing sarcoma—have come together to fund a $1.5 million, three-year research initiative focused specifically on advancing treatments and changing the future for children battling this aggressive pediatric cancer.
Learn more:
C7R-GD2 Car T Cells for Pediatric Diffuse Midline Gliomas (2022-2024; 2025-2028)
In August 2022, we awarded a multi-year grant of $750,000 to Dr. Bilal Omer, Dr. Frank Lin, and Dr. Austin Stuckert of Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Cancer Center, in support of their clinical trial that uses cellular immunotherapy to treat diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs), a pediatric brain tumor that is typically fatal within a year.
Although DMGs are among the hardest-to-treat childhood cancers, the team observed clinical improvement in trial patients, with some children experiencing remission, symptom reduction, and periods of tumor shrinkage, proving that immune-based therapies can indeed work in the brain. Researchers gained a better understanding of what needs to change in order to achieve durable remission in all patients.
In light of the new knowledge generated from early trials, The Faris Foundation deepened our commitment in 2025 with a new, multi-year investment of $600,000, to support the development of next-generation CAR T cells that work beyond short-term responses to lasting remissions, representing a new and tangible hope for a cure.
Learn more:
- Press Release
- Patient story (blog)
- Patient story (video)
- Results from phase I clinical trial, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology
Better Ewing Sarcoma Treatment (BEST) Grant (2024-2026)
In partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, The Faris Foundation has made a $200,000 commitment to support the Better Ewing Sarcoma Treatment (BEST) Grant, led by researcher Dr. Poul Sorenson. “Dr. Sorensen’s research has unveiled a very provocative and novel approach to understanding metastasis in Ewing sarcoma, an elusive malady…We are very excited and optimistic about supporting his rigorous science and the knowledge that will come forth from this investigation.” – Dr. Asha Virani
Learn more:
Helping Osteosarcoma Patients Everywhere (HOPE) Super Grant (2023-2025)
The Faris Foundation is a proud partner in the new Helping Osteosarcoma Patients Everywhere (HOPE) Super Grant, a $1.5 million research grant awarded to Dr. Mitchell Cairo at at New York Medical College. Dr. Cairo and his team aim to develop novel combinatorial immunotherapy that will significantly increase the overall survival in children and adolescents with relapsed osteosarcoma.
The Faris Foundation has committed $100,000 a year for three years. We are thrilled to be a part of this collaborative venture with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Battle Osteosarcoma, the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, and The Children’s Cancer Fund.
Learn more:
HEROS 3.0 Advanced Sarcoma Clinical Trial (2021-2023)
The work done through our Immunotherapy Scholar Award continues with our multi-year investment of $1.4 million in the HEROS 3.0 clinical trial, led by Drs. Meenakshi Hegde and Shoba Navai, with Dr. Joseph on the team as well.
Learn more:
The Faris Foundation Immunotherapy Scholar Award (2019-2021)
A grant of $300,000 over two years, awarded to Dr. Sujith K. Joseph (Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Childrens Cancer Center), for his project “Developing Sarcoma-specific T-cell Platform for Grafting Chimeric Antigen Receptors.”
Learn more:
The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center
The Faris D. Virani Ewing Sarcoma Center at Texas Children’s Cancer Center (an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center) was established in 2014 with a little over $1,000 in seed funding from Faris’ personal piggy bank, and is the world’s only comprehensive research center dedicated to Ewing sarcoma. Part of the Solid Tumor Programs at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, the FDV Center is dedicated to advancing the research and treatment of Ewing sarcoma, the second most common bone tumor in children, as well as other sarcomas.
Learn more:
