Research Cancer Biomarkers & Therapeutics

Nemours Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders

The goal of our work in cancer and blood disorders is, very simply, to find a cure. To do so, we’re constantly searching for new biomarkers (molecules that show whether bodily conditions are normal or cancerous) and better treatments.

Our work is organized within the Nemours Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (NCCBD), a pediatric cancer center that includes our clinical and pediatric cancer research programs at the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida and Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola, Fla. Each of our locations has been recognized for having outstanding participation in clinical trials, and for clinical trial access and management.

Principal Investigators

The Nemours Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders is fortunate to have excellent leadership. Our physician leaders participate or play a leadership role in a variety of national cancer organizations and studies.

E. Anders Kolb, MD (Wilmington, Del.)

The program is led by Dr. Kolb, who is heavily involved in advanced research programs to find new cancer drugs that are more effective, with fewer side effects. A founding member of the Pediatric Preclinical Testing Program (PPTP) and the newly appointed chair of the Myeloid Disease Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), Dr. Kolb also led the effort to obtain Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) accreditation for Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware. In addition, Dr. Kolb is the Director of the Nemours Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and Associate Director of Nemours’ Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP). He’s on a number of COG and the Sarcoma Alliance for Research through Collaboration (SARC) committees, and a member of the Pediatric Working Group of the American Association of Cancer Research.

Robin E. Miller, MD (Wilmington, Del.)

Dr. Miller serves as Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware’s Cancer Control Champion for COG. She is the director of the Sickle Cell Program at the hospital and has been awarded the Delaware End-of-Life Coalition Physician Excellence Award.

Eric S. Sandler, MD (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Dr. Eric Sandler is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Mayo School of Medicine. He served as Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Nemours Children’s Health-Jacksonville from 1998- 2017 and currently serves as Chairman, Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Sandler serves as Director of Neuro-Oncology and Co-director of the Vascular Malformations Program at Nemours Children’s Health. Dr. Sandler has served on numerous boards and committees on the state and national level including the PDQ Supportive Care Editorial Committee of the NCI, The Governor’s Cancer Control and Research Advisory Board, including his role as Chair of the Board from 2008 – 2009, and the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society-Florida Division where he held several positions, including Chair of the Cancer Control Committee, Chairman of the Board and President as well as National Assembly delegate. He has also served on several committees of the Children’s Oncology Group and the American Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology. At Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Dr. Sandler has served as Chief of Staff and on the Board of Directors since 2008, serving as Chairman of the Board from 2018-21. Dr. Sandler has received the American Cancer Society St. George Medal and the Lane Adams award for his work in improving the quality of life for children with cancer. Dr. Sandler’s major areas of focus include management of children with CNS tumors, comprehensive care for children with cancer as well as management of children with vascular malformations. He also has an interest in International Health and has led teams of physicians to Mongolia and China. He was recently awarded an Honorary Professorship at the National Center for Maternal and Child Health of Mongolia.

Dr. Sandler has been an invited speaker at numerous local, national and international meetings, and has authored or co-authored over 70 peer reviewed manuscripts and at least 5 book chapters.

Scott M. Bradfield, MD (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Dr. Bradfield is our Cancer Control Champion for Florida, and committee member of our Community Clinical Oncology Program. Dr. Bradfield is an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Mayo School of Medicine and Associate Division Chief at Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville. He has been the Cancer Committee Chairman in Jacksonville for many years, emphasizing quality of care with improved outcomes. His main research focus is in cancer control, currently serving as the Study Principal Investigator for a Suncoast Research Base cancer study.

Cynthia A. Gauger, MD (Jacksonville, Fla.)

A nationally recognized expert in pediatric bleeding disorders, Dr. Gauger has been at Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville since 2000. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Florida Medical School. She also serves as the Medical Director of the Hemophilia Treatment Center and is very active with the national and state Hemophilia Foundations. Dr. Gauger’s primary areas of interest are in hemostasis (a process which causes bleeding to stop), sickle cell disease thrombosis (blood clots in sickle cell patients), and benign hematology (the study of blood, blood-forming organs, and blood diseases).

Michael J. Joyce, MD, PhD (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Dr. Joyce has been with Nemours Children's Health, Jacksonville since 1990 and has run our hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) program since 1994. He currently serves as both the overall program director and director of the pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program of the Mayo Clinic, Nemours Children’s Clinic, and Wolfson Children’s Hospital. He’s also served as the Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which ensures that safe research protocols are followed and that participants are protected for the Baptist Health Care System since 2004. Dr. Joyce’s interests include stem cell and umbilical cord blood transplantation.

Ramamoorthy Nagasubramanian, MD (Orlando, Fla.)

At our Nemours Children’s Hospital and Nemours Children's Health, Downtown Orlando, Dr. Nagasubramanian is the division chief of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology for our clinic, and has a distinguished history in cancer care and research. He is a member of the COG voting body, and serves as the Site Lead Investigator for our Orlando site.