Science
Host Tim Cripe welcomes his new Co-Host, Dr. Brenda Weigel, to reflect on her career, leadership, and focus areas since her last interview on TWiPO in 2017. Dr. Weigel is the Director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at the University of Minnesota's Cancer Center, Chair of Developmental Therapeutics in the COG, and Chair of the Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network (PEP-CTN) for the NCI. She is at the epi-center for getting new drugs into the clinic for children with cancer and shares her perspective on the impact of the game-changing RACE Act that was implemented in 2020. She weighs in on prioritization of same-class drugs, evolving clinical trial design for small patient populations, and the increasing need for international collaboration in conducting clinical trials. She also discusses the importance of quality-of-life assessments and patient-reported outcomes and shares the efforts ongoing in the US and EU regulatory landscape to advance drug development for children with cancer.