Sara Bottomley, RN, MSN, CPNP The survival rate of patients with childhood brain tumors continues to improve. However, survivors are at risk for a variety of physical, medical, cognitive, and/or psychosocial late effects. These late effects may be directly related to the type, location and extent of the brain tumor itself or a result of …
Paul Graham Fisher, M.D., M.H.S. and Michelle Monje, M.D., Ph.D Brain stem tumors are perhaps the most dreaded cancers in pediatric oncology, owing to their historically poor prognosis, yet they remain an area of intense research. Brain stem tumors account for about 10 to 15% of childhood brain tumors. Peak incidence for these tumors occurs …
Sarah Rush, M.D., University of Denver Two-year funding, 2010-2011 Juvenile pilocytic astrocytomas (JPA) are common tumors of childhood. Despite the high incidence, the biological factors that influence outcomes for these children remain poorly understood. Based on our preliminary data, IMP3 represents a highly specific prognostic marker for JPA allowing for improved prediction of outcome. The aim …
Charles Eberhart, M.D., Ph.D. 2010-2011 funding Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) are among the most deadly pediatric brain cancers, with no effective therapies. Unfortunately, few models for these exist, severely limiting our ability to test new treatments for the patients who need them most. The goal of our research proposal is to develop accurate models …
Leigh Marcus, M.D., National Cancer Institute Special Project funded 2010-2011 We would like to thank the CBTF for supporting our phase 1 clinical trial of Satraplatin in children with brain tumors. Although overall survival for children with CNS tumors is rising, new agents that are more effective and less toxic are desperately needed. Chemotherapeutic agents …
Kathy Warren, M.D., NCI Special Project funded 2010-2011 Children with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG) continue to have a poor outcome despite advances in radiation oncology, new chemotherapeutic agents and extensive research into overcoming drug resistance. One of the major obstacles is the lack of biological studies that may aid us in better understanding the …
Philip Beachy, Ph.D. and Michelle Monje, M.D. 2010-2011 funding Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a devastating childhood brain tumor that is poorly understood and universally fatal. Progress to date has been limited by a lack of faithful experimental model systems. We have overcome this impasse by generating new DIPG cell lines and xenograft model …
Javad Nazarian, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Children’s National Medical Center, Center for Genetic Medicine The focus of my science career changed almost three years ago when a physician colleague approached me and proposed a potentially challenging project: molecular analysis of pediatric brainstem gliomas (BSGs). The project deemed challenging because of the lack of fresh frozen …
Dr. Jack Su, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children’s Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine When I first chose pediatric oncology for my fellowship, invariably I was asked the question “Why would you want to take care of children with cancer?” Now that my career has evolved to working with children with brain tumors, I am still …
