| Project title | New Windows Into the Brainstem and DIPG Tumours |
|---|---|
Grant Amount | $199,378 |
Institution | University of New South Wales |
Investigator Team | Principal investigators Dr. Maria Tsoli and A/Prof. David Ziegler with associate investigators Dr. Joseph Nicolazzo, Dr. Christa Nath, and Dr. Chi Nam Ignatius Pang |
Grant Type | 2019 Innovation Grant |
Years | 2019 – 2021 |
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is one of the most devastating of all childhood cancers. Due to its location in the brainstem, a delicate area of the brain that controls critical functions, this tumour cannot be surgically removed. There have been over 250 clinical trials testing new treatments for DIPG, all of which have failed.
A key challenge in treating DIPG is getting anticancer therapies into the brain due to the blood brain barrier. This barrier protects the brain from foreign substances, and in doing so, also blocks anticancer therapies from reaching a tumour.
This project will attempt to understand the role of the blood brain barrier during the development of DIPG. Researchers will develop strategies to target this barrier and get anticancer drugs into the brainstem to target the tumour. This could revolutionise the treatment of DIPG and other brain tumours, allow the introduction of successful anti-cancer agents, and improve survival rates for children with DIPG as well as with other brain tumours.
“Our approach… has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of DIPG and other brain tumours, allow the introduction of successful anti-cancer agents, and improve survival rates for children with DIPG.”
Dr. Maria Tsoli
Progress: This grant was awarded in 2019 and research began in 2020.