Kenneth Denning is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 35 years of experience in the restaurant and nightclub industry, having launched and managed numerous venues across New England. Through Denning Enterprises and related ventures, he has developed a diverse portfolio that includes hospitality, real estate, and product innovation, with patented designs such as the Pool Top Oil Can. Beyond business, Kenneth Denning has demonstrated a sustained commitment to philanthropy, supporting organizations like the Connecticut Cancer Foundation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Shriners Hospitals for Children, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His involvement in charitable initiatives, particularly those focused on pediatric cancer, reflects a broader interest in advancing awareness and support for critical medical research, including emerging treatments for conditions such as neuroblastoma.
Groundbreaking Research on the Rare Pediatric Cancer Neuroblastoma
Child cancer treatment is an area of intensive research that is constantly yielding new breakthroughs. Some findings require many years to bear fruit in clinical settings, such as in the area of neuroblastoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer that has around 800 cases diagnosed in the US annually.
The cancer develops within the immature nerve tissue of babies and young children, known as neuroblasts, which medical professionals diagnose by a lump in the neck, chest, or stomach. In addition, the child may experience bone pain, swollen lymph nodes, and dark circles around the eyes.
While the tumor generally takes form in the adrenal glands located just above the kidneys, it can start in other areas of the body as well. It often metastasizes, or spreads, to the bones and bone marrow, and can also affect the liver, skin, and brain. With the average diagnosis age one to two years, it can occur as late as age five. Scientists believe the causes are related to gene mutations, often occurring during fetal development or soon after birth. These allow neuroblasts to grow without the usual checks. Medical professionals believe that neuroblastoma runs in families. They have not found known environmental factors behind the genetic changes implicated.
As a pediatric oncology fellow at Penn State in 2003, Dr. Giselle Saulnier Sholler, now a professor of pediatrics and of pharmacology, experienced three young patients dying from this rare condition in a short time. This matched the 30 percent mortality rate associated with high-risk neuroblastoma. However, it felt far too high to the young physician and drove a research commitment through the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium over 14 years, spanning lab and clinical trial settings.
In many cases, by the time medical professionals diagnose patients with neuroblastoma, it has already reached an advanced metastatic stage. Treatments often include a regimen of chemotherapy, not infrequently in high doses. Autologous stem cell transplantation may accompany it. In addition, physicians often perform surgical excision of tumorous cells and may recommend radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, such as dinutuximab. Patients often take drugs like 13-cis-retinoic acid for several months following treatment.
Dr. Sholler’s breakthrough discovery identified a medication known as eflornithine (DFMO), branded as IWILFIN. Around 40 percent of patients entering remission experience relapse within a four-year timespan, and among that extremely high-risk subset, survival across another five years is only 10 percent. Taking IWILFIN reduces relapse risks by more than 50 percent among high-risk patients who have achieved at least a partial response following multiagent, multimodality therapy. The FDA approved it in late 2023 and has the potential to save many lives.
Nonetheless, Dr. Sholler’s work focuses on genomic sequencing of tumors and on understanding why some patients with the same cancer don’t respond to the same medications. Her lab grows cell lines from patients’ tumors treated at Penn State and tests various currently available drugs. By recording responses and understanding new mutations as they occur, Dr. Sholler fine-tunes medication approaches. This enables two lanes of research: one focused on developing IWILFIN and other drugs through clinical trials, and the other focused on creating a genomic treatment plan specific to the individual patient.
About Kenneth Denning
Kenneth Denning is an entrepreneur with over three decades of experience in the restaurant and nightclub industry, having developed and managed multiple venues across New England. His work extends into real estate and product development, including patented inventions. In addition to his business pursuits, Kenneth Denning supports charitable organizations such as the Connecticut Cancer Foundation, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Shriners Hospitals for Children, reflecting an ongoing commitment to community involvement and pediatric cancer initiatives.
