Cancer

Childhood Brain Cancers

Despite four decades of clinical trials, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains one of the deadliest childhood cancers. Children’s National has partnered with the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN), of which Brian Rood, MD is a PI. These consortia aim to unify the knowledge and resources of member institutions for defining DIPG biology, biomarker identification and discovery of therapeutic targets. The multidisciplinary team of experts includes neurologists, pathologists, neurosurgeons, bioengineers and oncologists. The Nazarian laboratory is supported by generous funds from the Smashing Walnuts Foundation, Goldwin Foundation, Musella Foundation, Brain Tumor Foundation, Zickler Family Foundation, Matthew Larson Foundation and Kisses for Kayla Foundation and by the Children’s National CTSI.
 
Eugene Hwang, MD is involved in multiple complementary and parallel projects seeking to examine and leverage the immune response against DIPG. One project seeks to evaluate a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte product that will shortly advance to early clinical trials in patients with DIPG.
 
Lindsay Kilburn, MD, (pediatric oncologist) directs the clinical trial conducted by the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC), a network of 16 children’s hospitals that conduct clinical trials of new therapies for children with brain tumors. PNOC members have formed a single arm multicenter feasibility trial to use a new treatment approach based on each patient’s tumor genomic profiling consisting of whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing (RNA seq) as well as predictive modeling. 

Focus Areas

• Central Nervous System Brain and Spinal Cord
• Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)