Co-funded by the Dick Vitale Gala, and WWE in honor of Connor’s Cure
DIPG is a universally fatal brain tumor that occurs in children. Thanks to extensive research, we now understand the biologic causes of DIPG, but no one has found an effective way to treat the disease. Patients receive radiation to slow the disease and relieve symptoms, but they almost all die within two years of diagnosis. We have found that a target known as GD2 is highly expressed on DIPG. GD2 can be targeted with an antibody that is FDA approved to treat another type of cancer. When the antibody finds its target, it recruits immune cells to “eat” the cancer cells. Here, we propose combining anti-GD2 with another antibody that stimulates the immune system to “eat” cancer cells (anti-CD47). Because antibodies cannot reach the brain when given in the blood, we will deliver these two antibodies by direct injection into the tumor. Our main goal is to test this approach in mouse models of DIPG to see if it is safe and effective. This will hopefully serve as the basis for a clinical trial for children with DIPG. We will also explore alternative and complementary ways to attack the tumors.
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