Research
Research updates from Dr. Alison Moskowitz
Every dollar the Foundation raises supports Dr. Moskowitz’s Hodgkin’s lymphoma research program at Memorial Sloan Kettering, where Adam was treated. Here is where that work stands as of September 2026.
When the first treatment doesn’t work
For most people with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the first treatment works. For some, it doesn’t. The disease either comes back after treatment ends (relapsed) or never responds in the first place (refractory). Adam’s was refractory. The usual next step has been more chemotherapy and then a stem cell transplant, which means weeks in the hospital and months of recovery.
A treatment now in the national guidelines
Her team added an immunotherapy drug (pembrolizumab) to the chemotherapy given after relapse. It is now in the national guidelines doctors use to choose treatment, and five years on, patients’ remissions are holding. The next question is whether patients who respond fully can skip the transplant.
A blood test that shows when to stop
A sensitive blood test looks for traces of the cancer during treatment (circulating tumor DNA). Patients whose test comes back clear can stop chemotherapy early and finish on immunotherapy alone.
A scan that shows how much treatment is enough
A PET scan measures how much active cancer remains (metabolic tumor volume). The result decides who needs only a short course, who needs radiation, and who needs a different treatment.
What your gift does
Foundation gifts help run Dr. Moskowitz’s research program, including the dedicated staff who manage it.
Earlier grants supported Hodgkin’s research at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Baylor College of Medicine (Texas Children’s Cancer Center) and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.