Dr. Mark Souweidane, professor of neurological surgery and neurological surgery in pediatrics, has received a Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) Pilot Award to investigate the treatment of diffuse pontine gliomas in children. Diffuse pontine gliomas account for 5 to 10 percent of brain tumors found in children, and currently has no known effective therapy. Located in the brainstem, these tumors cannot be removed surgically, are poorly responsive to chemotherapy, and only temporarily respond to radiation therapy. Therefore, researchers have pursued other novel means of treatment. Dr. Souweidane, working in collaboration with other laboratories, has shown that a targeted immunotoxin (8H9-PE38) has some efficacy against primary central nervous system tumors. The CTSC Pilot Award will support translational research, intended to study the safety of 8H9-PE38 administered into the brainstem as a bridge, from his ongoing laboratory efforts into a clinical study for children.
January 28, 2008
