Creating Miracles in the Lab
The Morgan Adams Foundation’s Bold Fight Against Pediatric Cancer
Austin Super Hero: Austin is a craniopharyngioma brain tumor survivor superhero! Now eight years old, he’s thriving with his brain tumor under control thanks to Dr. Hankinson’s research, funded by The Morgan Adams Foundation.
In Colorado’s rich nonprofit landscape, few organizations match the quiet power and global impact of the Morgan Adams Foundation. For 25 years, this groundbreaking group has been on the front lines of pediatric cancer research, channeling grief into hope and science into miracles.
The foundation is named for Morgan Adams, a spirited 5-year-old who was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor in 1997. Morgan died just 11 months later, but her legacy lives on. Her parents, Steven Adams and Joan Slaughter, transformed their heartbreak into purpose. After joining the Oncology Advisory Board at Children’s Hospital Colorado, they realized that while brilliant researchers like Dr. Nick Foreman had big ideas, they lacked the early funding needed to bring them to life.
Adams and Slaughter launched an art auction to support pediatric cancer research. That single event blossomed into a nationally respected nonprofit that has since invested more than $10 million into pioneering studies—many of which have started in Colorado and reached far beyond.
At the heart of their mission is “bench science,” the foundational research that deciphers how childhood cancers form, grow and resist treatment. The Morgan Adams Foundation funds studies in immunotherapy, gene therapy and precision medicine—transformative tools once thought out of reach.
“Unlike adult cancers, childhood cancers aren’t typically caused by environmental exposure. They’re often triggered by rare genetic mutations,” explains Kat Russell, the foundation’s director of strategic marketing. “Our goal is to understand these mutations and figure out how to stop them at the source.”
Girls Just Wanna Fund Research: From left: Dr. Sujatha Venkataraman, PhD candidate Andrea Griesinger, and Dr. Jean Mulcahy-Levy are part of a dedicated research team advancing pediatric cancer research through the support of The Morgan Adams Foundation.
One of the most powerful examples of this mission is the work of Dr. Sujatha Venkataraman, a scientist and mother who lost her son, Rishi, to neuroblastoma. Her grief became fuel for change. She shifted her research from adult cancers to pediatric brain tumors, focusing on DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma), one of the deadliest childhood cancers. Her lab, funded in part by the foundation, recently developed two forms of immunotherapy that fully eradicated DIPG tumors in mice during preclinical trials.
“It nearly killed me to see Rishi endure chemo, radiation, surgery and a bone marrow transplant,” Dr. Venkataraman says. “I knew I had to do what I could to help end the suffering of other innocent children. I changed my research focus from breast and prostate cancer to pediatric brain tumors, mainly DIPG. Chemotherapy doesn’t work, and radiation only extends a child’s life a few months. Now, my life’s mission and focus is to better understand the biology of this deadly tumor, so we can find the best way to target it and find a cure.”
Another major breakthrough funded by the foundation came from Dr. Todd Hankinson, a neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital Colorado. With early-stage research support from Morgan Adams, his team launched an ambitious effort to better understand and treat craniopharyngioma, a rare, complex brain tumor. That work has led to promising clinical trials and real results for children like Austin Mollhoff, who has undergone multiple surgeries and rounds of radiation.
“Dr. Hankinson’s research gives us so much hope,” says Austin’s mom, Jen. “Because of this new treatment, Austin may avoid more surgeries and radiation, keep his eyesight, and keep his tumor under control.”
The Morgan Adams Foundation doesn’t just fund ideas; it also helps to build the infrastructure to bring those ideas to life. Its support led to the establishment of the Pediatric Cancer Research Program at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, now one of the world’s leading labs for pediatric brain tumor studies. Staff also collaborate with Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Osteosarcoma Institute in Dallas, expanding their reach far beyond Colorado.
Beckett: From left: Morgan Adams Foundation Ambassador Beckett (5) with his mom and Dr. Kelly Maloney, a pediatric hematology-oncology specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Beckett is 9 years old, two years off of treatment and thriving!
Locally, the foundation ensures families have access to world-class care and practical support. Through its Family Assistance Fund, the foundation helps cover travel and living costs for families during treatment. It also spotlights young fighters as “ambassador kids,” surrounding them with a community of support.
Despite being the leading cause of disease-related death in children, pediatric cancer research receives less than 8 percent of national funding. That’s why the Morgan Adams Foundation is essential.
“We’re not just funding hope,” Russell says. “We’re backing the science that turns heartbreak into healing.”
