25 years plus 1 – A review

In September 1994, the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer was established with the aim of developing new therapy concepts and treatment options for children with cancer. In November 2019, under the patronage of Hesse’s Prime Minister Volker Bouffier, it celebrated its 25th anniversary with a grand ceremony at Frankfurt University Hospital.We take a look back at a great evening:

The mood in the foyer of lecture theatre 23-04 at Frankfurt University Hospital was cheerful on the afternoon of 9 November 2020. Numerous invited guests had gathered to duly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Frankfurt Foundation for Children with Cancer.

After the welcome by the Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, Dr Jürgen Vogt, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Goethe University Frankfurt, Prof. Dr Josef Pfeilschifter, and the Director of the Clinic for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Frankfurt University Hospital, Prof. Dr Thomas Klingebiel, emphasised the successes and important significance of the research work in the Foundation’s research house, the Dr Petra Joh-Haus, for the treatment of childhood cancers.

The guests then followed with great interest the reports from the two research groups that are working in cooperation with the Clinic for Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine in the rooms of the Research House to fathom the causes of cancer in children and to discover new healing possibilities: The Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Paediatric Tumour and Virus Research headed by Prof. Jindrich Cinatl, and the Institute for Experimental Tumour Research in Paediatrics headed by Prof. Simone Fulda.

The highlight of the evening was the awarding of the Maresch Klingelhöffer Prize. The young scientist Dr. Constanze Schneider received this award with a beaming smile from Dr. Jürgen Vogt. In his laudation, Prof. Dr. Hubert Serve, Director of the Medical Clinic II at the University Hospital, emphasised the groundbreaking importance of the discovery of the biomarker SAMHD1.

At the end of the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Köhl, Director of the Institute for Clinical Immunology at Leipzig University Hospital, paid tribute in her speech to the tireless efforts of the Foundation’s Board and staff to provide the best possible medical care for children and young people with cancer.

The musical accompaniment was provided by Peter Back on saxophone and Dr Jürgen Schwab on guitar, whose inspiring music perfectly rounded off the special occasion.

After the ceremony, a rich buffet awaited the guests, which provided an opportunity for a lively exchange.

We remember this special day with joy and pride and will do our utmost to be able to speak of 100 percent chances of cure for children with cancer at the 50th anniversary.