Medical Breakthroughs
June 16, 2010
Two exciting developments!
The first news is that Dana-Farber's Dr. Mark Kieran and his colleagues are working with a team in Paris to analyze 24 tissue samples of diffuse pontine gliomas, the first such analysis in the world.
Even more exciting is the news that Dr. Kieran and his team expect their groundbreaking research to start in September 2010 at 20 leading cancer centers in the U.S. (see the list of participating centers below). The initial funding provided by Zach's Fund has allowed Dr. Kieran to receive additonal grant money of $400,000, for a total of $1.3 million secured to date. We are on our way to the $2 million needed for this study to be fully funded.
In this study, newly diagnosed patients will undergo a biopsy, providing live tissue samples for genome analyses, with a goal of unlocking the mysteries of diffuse pontine gliomas ("DPG").This world renowned medical team believes this study represents the greatest hope of finding a cure for DPG, the deadliest of all pediatric cancers.
Equally exciting news is that the tumors of these newly diagnosed patients will be profiled, allowing the treatment to be tailored to each specific tumor. Patients will receive radiation, chemotherapy and/or biologic treatment based on their tumor.
Zach’s Fund is the major funding source in the US dedicated to this groundbreaking research and treatment protocol.
Zach’s Fund has gotten DPG research moving again. Please make a contribution to keep this leading-edge research advancing to a cure. This is your chance to have a significant impact on the lives of children diagnosed with this deadly cancer. We are moving towards our goal to find a cure … please come with us and donate now.
The participating sites:
- Children's Hospital Boston, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- University of California San Francisco, CA
- Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center, Seattle, WA
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA
- The Children's Hospital, Denver, CO
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NY
- Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
- Children's Medical Center, University of Utah
- Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Baltimore, MD
- Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Portland, OR
- Washington University Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO
- University Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX
- Miami Children's Hospital, FL
- University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- Children's Health Care of Atlanta, GA
- University of Mississippi, Jackson, MS
- Louisville Children's Hospital, KY
- New York University, NY
- Childrens Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- University of Rochester Children's Hospital, Rochester, NY
The
Zachary
Carson
Brain Tumor
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Zach gets radiation
Dr. Mark Kieran, Steve Carell and Zach
