Another scientist described groundbreaking progress made, thanks to federally funded research, in understanding and fighting diseases like childhood leukemia. That’s cancer of blood-forming tissues, including bone marrow and the lymphatic system. “We have gone from a uniformly fatal disease 50 years ago to a disease for which those children are treated,” said Lia Gore, who leads CU’s pediatric hematological cancer program. She credited NIH funding and scientific collaboration.