The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation welcomes Day One Biopharmaceuticals’ renowned Dr. Samuel C. Blackman to its Board of Directors

Dr. Blackman brings his singular experience as co-founder of Day One Biopharmaceuticals and a physician-scientist in pediatric neuro-oncology to the PBTF’s pediatric brain tumor community

BOSTON – Jan 30, 2025 – The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) is proud to welcome Dr. Samuel Blackman, MD, PhD to the PBTF’s Board of Directors. Dr. Blackman will bring to bear his rich understanding of pediatric oncology and drug development, including his experience as the co-founder and former Head of Research & Development of Day One Biopharmaceuticals, as an expert resource for pediatric brain tumor patients, survivors, and their families. Dr. Blackman joins an outstanding team of renowned thought leaders on the PBTF’s Board, and will collaborate with the organization’s Senior Advisory Board, which includes Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN.

Dr. Blackman co-founded Day One Biopharmaceuticals in 2018 with a vision to identify, acquire, and develop promising new treatments to address childhood cancers. Under Dr. Blackman’s leadership, Day One acquired the breakthrough drug tovorafenib (OJEMDA™) and developed it for use in relapsed/refractory pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG), achieving FDA approval in April 2024. OJEMDA™ is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for the most common brain tumor type diagnosed in children, and it is a major achievement for both Dr. Blackman and his team at Day One, and for the PBTF.

The PBTF is proud to have been a part of OJEMDA’s journey toward FDA approval, with its PLGA Fund contributing early seed funding for preclinical and clinical trial work. The PLGA Fund, originally known as the PLGA Foundation/A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure, was created by a group of Boston-area patient families in 2007 to fund research dedicated to understanding and treating pLGG, and was instrumental in enabling this seed research. The PLGA Fund merged with the PBTF in 2018.

Throughout his career, Dr. Blackman led the early clinical development of more than 10 novel cancer therapeutics in addition to tovorafenib, including the pediatric development of dabrafenib, which resulted in the first industry-sponsored pediatric oncology “basket trial”. Through his roles at CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, and ACCELERATE, Dr. Blackman has been an active leader in the pediatric oncology drug development community. Dr. Blackman held roles of increasing responsibility at Silverback Therapeutics, Juno Therapeutics, Seattle Genetics, Merck, and GlaxoSmithKline.

“Developing new medicines for pediatric cancer has been my unwavering focus throughout my career,” said Dr. Samuel Blackman. “I have considered a variety of board and advisory options in the pediatric cancer field and am honored to join the PBTF, which is making an impact every day for pediatric brain tumor patients and their families. I look forward to working with my fellow Board members at the PBTF to advance promising and much-needed research.”

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is the largest patient advocacy funder of pediatric brain tumor research and the leading champion for families and survivors. Its mission is to care for those afflicted by this disease, cure all childhood brain tumors, and help survivors and families thrive.

Dr. Blackman is joining the PBTF board at a time where cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death among both children and adolescents, and brain cancer is the second most common cancer type in children and adolescents. Despite its prevalence, pediatric brain tumor research remains chronically underfunded, and greater public awareness of the impact and reach of this terrible disease is desperately needed.

“Dr. Blackman is an innovator in, and spokesperson for, the pediatric cancer research community,” said Jeffrey Gelfand, the Chair of the PBTF’s Board of Directors, and the father of a brain tumor survivor. “He brings unmatched expertise and a unique perspective through his work at Day One Biopharmaceuticals, specifically in the groundbreaking development of OJEMDA™, which marked a genuine game-changer in the pediatric brain tumor space. We are thrilled to welcome him to our Board.”

“At PBTF, we pride ourselves on uniting the world’s top experts and advocates on pediatric brain tumors,” said Geoff Still, the PBTF’s Interim Executive Director. “Dr. Blackman joins our team as an expert in pediatric oncology drug development, where his impact cannot be overstated. We know he will continue to make a difference for patients through his participation in the PBTF’s Board.”

Dr. Blackman is a graduate of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital Boston pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship program, and the pediatric residency program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He received his MD and PhD from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Chicago.

For more information about the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, visit curethekids.org.

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About the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

Since 1991, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation has led the way in funding pediatric brain tumor research, supporting families affected by this disease, and advocating for policies that help patients, survivors, and their loved ones. Dedicated wholly to addressing this rare disease and guided by the experiences of patients, survivors, their parents, and siblings, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation is the only organization to meet families’ needs along every step of their cancer journey.  Learn more at curethekids.org.