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Suffer Little Children is a work of fiction. For the sake of realism, the story is set against the backdrop of an actual research program conducted by the National Cancer Institute. MATCH (Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice) is a precision medical cancer treatment clinical trial using genomic sequencing to identify genetic changes in patient tumors that can be targeted by existing drugs. A Pediatric MATCH treatment trial is currently underway but had not yet launched during the time in which the novel is set. None of the characters or events are actual or intended to disrespect these state-of-the-art programs. The references to Johns Hopkins Hospital are a nod to a respected medical facility, where my late husband received treatment. The developments depicted as occurring there are entirely imaginary.
I’m grateful for the medical input I received from Linda Fleisher, PhD, MPH, Cancer Education Specialist and Researcher, and my husband, Dan Hansburg, MD, PhD, JD, research pathologist turned patent attorney. I doubt I would have had the nerve to attempt a thriller dealing with cancer research had Dan not been there to help launch me on the right track.
Many thanks to fellow writers Peter LaMaster and Valentina Pagliai (pen name, Sidney Nesti) and to John Agar for their thoughtful critiques and suggestions. And without the highly supportive and constructive content editing provided by Alyssa Hall and line editing by Amanda Kruse of Red Adept Publishing, Suffer Little Children would be a far less satisfying read than I hope you will find it.