Research We Fund
Neuroblastoma is an orphan disease – the "Valley of Death" for physician scientists. Discoveries are made and tool compounds are developed, but without funding, these promising treatments never reach the children who need them.
We bridge this gap by finding the best and most promising research in the world that lacks funding and providing the support needed to bring breakthroughs to implementation.
- Rigorous scientific review process
- Focus on translational research
- International collaboration
- Commitment to getting drugs to kids
Driving Real Impact
We fund research across multiple fronts to attack neuroblastoma from every angle, from the lab, to the healthcare systems that decide who gets treatment, to the families navigating it all.
Lab & Clinical Research — Multi-Year Collaboration (ICRF)
Advancing Discovery in Israel
Through a multi-year research collaboration with the Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), supported by matching grants, Shir for Life is advancing neuroblastoma research in Israel. This partnership reflects our commitment to funding promising science wherever it's happening — and ensuring that discoveries reach the children who need them.
"Research in neuroblastoma has not made major progress, in part due to the lack of suitable preclinical models. We have developed a new model of neuroblastoma for pre-clinical studies, which better mimic the biological nature of the disease. Using this model, we have already uncovered several mechanisms which can explain disease progression. Our aim is to further study these mechanisms in order to offer new and better treatments for this deadly disease."
– Dr. Chen Buxbaum, Rambam Medical Center
Lab & Clinical Research — Precision Immunotherapy (CHOP)
Targeting ALK: A Precision Approach
In partnership with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Shir for Life is funding the development of a precision immunotherapy led by Dr. Yaël Mossé. Using ADC technology, the therapy targets ALK, a protein found on the surface of most neuroblastoma cells but absent from healthy tissue — making it an ideal candidate for antibody-based treatment that can destroy cancer cells while sparing healthy ones.
This work has the potential to benefit most children diagnosed with neuroblastoma, offering a safer and more effective treatment option for high-risk patients.
"The Shir for Life Foundation provided critical funding to create and optimize a new precision immunotherapy which will catalyze our ability to test this new drug in children with high-risk neuroblastoma. We think that this new therapy has the potential to be a game changer and be applicable to most if not all children with neuroblastoma as a safe and effective treatment." — Dr. Yaël Mossé, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Access & Advocacy — Advocating for Access
From Lab to Bedside: The IWILFIN Story
Research funding is only part of the equation — treatments also need to reach children through their healthcare systems. In 2026, Shir for Life successfully advocated for IWILFIN, a critical maintenance therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma, to be included in Israel's national health basket. This ensures that Israeli children can access this treatment through the public healthcare system, reducing the risk of relapse after remission.
As Einat wrote in The Jerusalem Post: "The approval of IWILFIN proves that progress is possible. It is a reminder that advocacy matters, that voices matter, and that change can happen when people refuse to accept delay as inevitable."
Family-Researcher Connection— Bridging Families and Experts
Connecting Families Directly to the World's Leading Minds
Shir for Life has built something rare in the childhood cancer space: a direct, ongoing connection between the world's foremost neuroblastoma researchers and the families navigating this disease. Through a monthly global webinar series, more than 20 leading clinicians and scientists from 12+ institutions across 7 countries — including Memorial Sloan Kettering, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Institut Curie (Paris), Great Ormond Street Hospital (London), Dana-Farber, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (Rome), St. Jude, and Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto) — present alongside parents, answering questions and sharing the latest advances in real time.
The series has featured the presidents of all three major global neuroblastoma research consortia — COG, SIOPEN, and NANT. For many families around the world, these webinars are their first direct connection to the experts and the global neuroblastoma community.
Shir for Life identifies the most promising neuroblastoma research that lacks funding and provides strategic, targeted support to bridge the gap between discovery and treatment. Our funding is amplified through matching grants, maximizing the impact of every dollar. We fund across the full spectrum — from lab research to clinical trials to policy advocacy — because changing the fate of children with neuroblastoma requires progress on every front.
