Dedicated to Improving Childhood Cancer Care
Julie-An Talano, MD, the Margolis Family Endowed Professor in Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Research at Children’s Wisconsin and professor of pediatrics at the 果冻影院 (果冻影院), has devoted her career to the fight against childhood cancer. Her journey, marked by unwavering commitment and profound compassion, has made a significant impact on the lives of countless young patients and their families.
The field of pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplantation demands a blend of advanced medical knowledge and compassionate care. Dr. Talano has been at the forefront of numerous advancements in this area. When she began her career two decades ago, survival rates for many childhood cancers were considerably lower than they are today. Through ongoing research, improved treatment protocols and a better understanding of the diseases, the prognosis for many young patients has improved significantly.
Dr. Talano has been instrumental in implementing these advancements, always striving to provide her patients with the best possible outcomes. Her research at Children’s Wisconsin focuses on making bone marrow transplants safer.
“We have been doing transplants by T-cell depletion for a number of decades, and with each new protocol that we develop, we have made significant improvements,” she says. “Right now, we have a novel research protocol where we take the harmful T-cells out of the transplant product before the cells reach the patient. This enables the patient to be on less medication during the transplant and gets them back to their regular life much quicker.”
The progress Dr. Talano has witnessed over her twenty years of research is remarkable. When she began performing transplants, the survival rate hovered around 50%. Today, it has improved to between 80 to 95%.
One of the most poignant stories from Dr. Talano’s career is that of Evie, one of the youngest patients she has ever performed a transplant on. Evie’s journey began shortly after birth when she came to the hospital with a skin rash that was later diagnosed as leukemia. The oncologists discovered that her type of leukemia had a KMT2A mutation, which meant that her best chance for a cure was through a bone marrow transplant.
Dr. Talano first met Evie and her parents while the child was undergoing chemotherapy. Treating an infant with cancer is an incredibly challenging process. The treatment is harsh and managing such a young patient through the rigors of chemotherapy and transplant is both devastating and stressful for the family. Dr. Talano and her team were determined to ensure that every step they took would give Evie the best possible outcome.
Dr. Talano’s expertise is not only in treating cancer and other hematologic disorders, but also in understanding and addressing the unique emotional and psychological needs of children and their families. In turn, she is often inspired by the resilience and positivity of her patients.
“They have a positive attitude. They’re kids, and they play,” Dr. Talano says. “Keeping them happy and comfortable is one of the most important things, especially when they have pain.”
Dr. Talano’s dedication to her research is driven by her passion for improving patient outcomes and survival rates. She believes that the medical field would stagnate without ongoing research, leaving patients with outdated treatment options. Her goal is to continue advancing this research until survival rates reach 100%.
“What gets me out of bed every morning is the ability to give these trials to patients and to improve outcomes and survival,” says Dr. Talano. “Also, what we’re focused on now more than ever is survivorship and having them lead as normal of a life as possible.”
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