ChrissyPawlowskiFoundation

Children's Memorial Hospital

and

The Chrissy Pawlowski Foundation

Rare Brain Tumor Research

Mission Statement

There are several research studies under the direction of Dr. Stewart Goldman at Children's Memorial Hospital that could be broadened to study rare brain tumors. Below please find a brief overview of these projects:

Retinoid Therapy and Experimental Therapeutics:

Under the mentorship of Dr. Goldman, newly recruited neuro-oncologist Sandeep Batra, MD is devoting a majority of his time to basic brain tumor research, with a focus on pediatric brain tumors, experimental therapeutics and new drug development. He is now testing novel retinoids (fenretinide) in treating medullablatomas. Retinoids, natural and synthetic derivatives of vitamin A, are promising anti-cancer drugs that have shown to be an effective therapy in preventing the recurrence of some cancers, including leukemia, adult brain tumors and neuroblastoma. However, relapsed or recurrent brain tumors such as anaplastic astrocytomas and medulloblastomas appear to be resistant to retinoid therapy. Dr. Batra is exploring the feasibility of using retinoids to prevent and treat brain tumors by investigating the mechanisms of retinoid action in these types of brain tumors and by identifying unique drug combinations that may overcome retinoid resistance.

Currently, Dr. Batra is studying the effectiveness of combinations of arsenic trioxide with MAPK inhibitors against high-grade tumors. Arsenic trioxide has been used to treat other cancers, such as leukemias, with some success. In this study, Dr. Batra is partnering with SCIOS pharmaceuticals which has developed a novel oral P38 MAPK inhibitor. There is evidence from their laboratory studies that combining the new MAPK inhibitor and arsenic trioxide may prove beneficial. As further data emerges, they intend to launch a group wide clinical trial of this drug combination through the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, of which Children's is a member organization.

Establishing a Rare Brain Tumor Database

Dr. Goldman also shared a new program he hopes to establish. He would like to see Children's Memorial become the first hospital to establish a centralized tissue bank and database for rare brain tumors. Children's Memorial would inform the neuro-oncology community we are establishing a rare brain tumor databank. We would then request those institutions send tissue samples to Children's Memorial for entry into the databank. Essentially, CMH would create an international, centralized databank and database of rare brain tumor specimens -- the only one of its kind.

Dr. Goldman believes this is a critical next step to studying this disease. It would allow Children's Memorial to collect and collate samples and share this information with other Brain Tumor Centers worldwide when they test their hypotheses regarding rare tumors.

Dr. Goldman feels strongly about the need for a centralized databank and that this is how breakthroughs will be made -- through collaborations, because no one institution will ever treat multiple rare brain tumors of the same type.