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Aplastic Anemia and Transplant with Dr. Richard Childs, MD

Fri, Jul 18

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Online Seminar

Aplastic Anemia and Transplant with Dr. Richard Childs, MD
Aplastic Anemia and Transplant with Dr. Richard Childs, MD

Time & Location

Jul 18, 2025, 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM CDT

Online Seminar

About the event

Rear Admiral (RADM) Richard Childs, MD, is the Scientific Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the NIH. He graduated from Georgetown University and Georgetown University Medical School and completed his medical training, including fellowships in Medical Oncology and Hematology, at the NIH.

As a tenured investigator at NHLBI, Dr. Childs focuses his research on allogeneic stem cell transplantation and tumor immunology to treat aplastic anemia, hematological malignancies, and solid tumors. His team was the first to establish the existence of a graft-vs-solid tumor effect mediated by donor T-cells, leading to cures for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. His lab discovered a novel human endogenous retrovirus (HERV-E) as a target for graft-vs-tumor effects, which induces tumor regression. They are developing T-cell based approaches to target HERV-E derived kidney cancer antigens and are investigating these in a clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center.

Dr. Childs also focuses on NK Cell immunotherapy, exploring strategies to optimize adoptive NK cell therapy for cancer. He serves as the principal investigator on several clinical research protocols at the NIH Clinical Center, aiming to improve outcomes for patients with treatment-refractory severe aplastic anemia. He has performed over 400 experimental stem cell transplants at NHLBI.

Dr. Childs was the first to show that metastatic kidney cancer could be cured by transplanted allogeneic immune cells, a seminal discovery published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He holds over 30 patents, has published more than 240 original research papers, and continues to lead innovative translational research.

As the former NHLBI Clinical Director, he oversaw one of NIH’s largest clinical and translational science programs, managing over 250 clinical trials. He implemented a strategic plan that significantly enhanced NHLBI’s clinical research infrastructure and productivity.

An active duty officer in the United States Commissioned Corps since 1995, Dr. Childs was promoted to Rear Admiral in 2015, received his second star in 2020, and currently serves as an Assistant United States Surgeon General.

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