Rye Brook-based Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has announced it has more than doubled its funding of research into childhood blood cancers, with the addition of 20 new research grants valued at more than $13.8 million.

The new grants expand LLS’ financial allocation to more than $25 million over a five-year period. The grants are part of the LLS Children’s Initiative, a $50 million effort that encompasses research into new therapies, clinical trials and enhanced services and support for pediatric cancer patients and their families.

“September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and it is also Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, making this an important time to talk about the need to take a bold new approach to helping children with cancer,” said LLS Chief Medical Officer Gwen Nichols.

“Children are not little adults,” she added. “They need better, less toxic treatments designed just for them. Our goal is a wholesale shift in the standard of care for pediatric patients, moving from toxic chemotherapies that leave survivors with lifelong health challenges, to effective, safe treatments that target cancer precisely, without harming the rest of the child’s body.”