| Project title | Australasian Participation in the International BIOMEDE (Biological Medicine for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma Eradication) Study |
|---|---|
Grant Amount | $188,750 |
Institution | Monash University |
Investigator Team | Principal investigators with associate investigators |
Grant Type | 2017 Clinical Trial Grant |
Years | 2018 – 2021 |
Prior to 2018, the only treatment for DIPG available in Australia was very limited, with patients surviving an average of just nine months. BIOMEDE is the first adaptive clinical trial in Australia to analyse a child’s tumour to identify which of the three drugs approved for the trial (erlotinib, everolimus and dasatinib) is most likely to be effective. This means the majority of trial participants will receive tailored treatment, based on the genetic profile of their tumour. The trial’s flexible ‘adaptive’ nature also means that new drugs can be added to the trial if they show increased promise in DIPG.
The trial is being run by Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology/Oncology Group (ANZCHOG) in Australia and is being funded by a joint commitment of $400,000 from Cure Brain Cancer Foundation and The Isabella and Marcus Foundation.
“BIOMEDE represents a huge leap forward in the way we treat DIPG, with the ability to perform biopsies to analyse each child’s tumour and then treat based on the molecular target. This will enable us to test existing therapies, and also provides the framework for rapidly incorporating new agents into the trial as they become available.”
A/Prof. Geoffrey McCowage
Progress: First annual progress report (March 2019)
Funding from Cure Brain Cancer Foundation means that every Australasian child diagnosed with DIPG has the opportunity to enrol on this international trial. The funding was essential for the extensive start-up phase – including ethics, regulatory requirements and specific staff training. In addition, the continued support means that centres can financially commit to this study, with the funding assisting with the additional costs of participating in the trial (such as eligibility assessments, imaging tests, sample collection). The funding also supports other study-related costs, such as shipping samples and pharmacy expenses for trial drugs), in addition to ongoing oversight and quality control (through monitoring) undertaken by the national sponsor, ANZCHOG.