Meet Dr. Maris

Dr. John Maris, MD

Hospital: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia     

In layman’s terms, what is the purpose of the research project funded by Cookies for Kids' Cancer: 

We aimed to develop new therapies for a specific subset of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma based on the tumor's genetic profile.                                                 

What message would you like to share with our donors:                                      

Thanks to Cookies' funding, we discovered drugs that work well against "RAS" mutations, which led to Novartis supporting a clinical trial that is ongoing.               

Tell us about yourself --- where are you from?

Pittsburgh, PA                                                            

Why did you want to get into pediatric cancer research?                                      

It was based on early interactions with Drs. Evans and D'Angio while working as a research technician prior to medical school.                                                              

Do you have kids?                                                               

Yes, 30 and 28.                                                                          

Are you a cat or a dog person?

Love em, but life is too crazy to have a pet.                                                                 

What do you like to do when you’re not in the lab?                                                 

Bike, hike, work in garden.                                                                

What’s your favorite piece of lab equipment and why?                                       

My computer  - it is the only thing the focus in the lab allows me to touch.                

What is your favorite cookie?

Chocolate chip