Hai-Ri Song, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery/Neurology, New York University School of Medicine one year, 2016 In spite of dramatic advances in the cure rate for most childhood malignancies, the prognosis for children with brain tumors is exceedingly poor. The urgent need for novel therapy is underscored by the fact that brain tumors are …
Claudia Petritsch, Ph.D. Funded 2015, second year BRAF Mutation effects on malignant astrocytoma development and therapy responses. Abstract: CD133+ subpopulations of cells in glioblastoma (GBM) show in vivo resistance to treatment with radiation and temozolomide, and are thought to contribute to therapy evasion and tumor recurrence. Frequent hyperactivation of the MAPK pathway in GBM has …
Marius Wernig, M.D., Ph.D. Stanford University School of Medicine The lysine 27 to methionine substitution in histone variant H3.3 (H3.3-K27M) is the most common mutation in pediatric high grade gliomas. Recent studies have demonstrated that this mutation leads to a global reduction of H3K27 trimethylation in a dominant manner by sequestering an enzymatic subunit of …
PI: Joseph Scafidi, DO – Children’s Research Institute, Washington, DC Grant duration, Aug. 2011 – Sept. 2013, review is update on progress The brain of children is subject to rapid growth and development. White matter is the part of the brain that is vital for communication and processing of information. White matter comprises nearly half …
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 …
Low-grade gliomas are the most common brain tumor in children. Although some patients can be effectively cured with surgery alone, recurrences are common in a significant majority of patients—especially those without neurofibromatosis type I (NF1). These patients often require repeated resections, chemotherapy and often radiation therapy. The damage caused by these therapies has a significant …