The Lilabean Foundation is excited to announce funding for two new innovative projects. As we move into the second half of 2024, our commitment to supporting groundbreaking research remains steadfast. Here’s a closer look at the new projects we’re funding and how they’re poised to make a difference.
Transforming Brain Tumor Care for Children: Neonatal Ependymoma Injection Pilot Experiment
Ependymoma is the second most common malignant brain tumor in children, comprising about 10% of all pediatric brain tumors. Despite efforts to enhance care, survival rates have only slightly improved over the years. The difficulty in studying and treating ependymomas stems from the lack of effective experimental models that accurately replicate the human tumor environment.
Under the leadership of Dr. Brian Rood at Children’s National Hospital, the project aims to create better pre-clinical models for studying ependymoma. The approach involves using mice with fully functioning immune systems to develop these models. By injecting tumor cells into neonatal mice, researchers hypothesize that the cells will grow without rejection, allowing for a more accurate study of tumor-immune system interactions.
Why is this project important?
The new models will help study the complex interactions between ependymoma tumors and the immune system, paving the way for more effective treatments. By understanding the biology and immune dynamics of these tumors, the research aims to improve survival rates and treatment outcomes for children with ependymoma.
Advancing Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Through Comprehensive Data Integration and AI
The Lilabean Foundation will continue to support the work of the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) with a two-year grant of $500,000 to CBTN to include a focus on data harmonization and optimization, AI pipeline development & refinement, and project management. LBF’s previous investments have laid the foundation for groundbreaking research and transformative outcomes in pediatric brain tumor research and care. LBF is honored to continue to support this work in its next phase, by supporting data optimization as well as opportunities that utilize this data in action. These projects prioritize the finishing pieces to the foundational data that will map the frontier to translational work at the bench, ultimately creating tangible impacts for children and families affected by brain tumors.
Supporting Data Optimization with CBTN:
The comprehensive data enabled by the support of the Lilabean Foundation is driving previously unimaginable research and discoveries in pediatric brain tumor studies. CBTN is now poised to build on this by working with disease experts to create customized data models for many types of brain tumors. By assessing the data that CBTN currently collects, especially imaging and molecular panel data, they will identify key areas for improvement and focus on collecting and harmonizing retrospective data to integrate it with advanced AI, helping to understand brain tumors better.
As part of this funding, a few of the expected outcomes related to data optimization are:
Enhanced Disease Data Models
Empowered Research Capabilities
Accelerated Discoveries
Supporting Data in Action with CBTN:
With the solid foundation of optimized data capabilities, researchers are poised to push the boundaries of pediatric brain cancer research. The Lilabean will support two transformative projects.
As part of this funding, a few of the expected outcomes we will see from projects that will have real-time impact on patients diagnosed with brain tumors are:
Transform how we care for children with medulloblastoma and improve outcomes by reducing unnecessary side effects
Pilot the validation of 3D organoid models as representation of patient tumors
Establish a precision medicine framework that informs targeted therapeutic strategies
Why are these projects important?
Investing in the enhancement of the existing CBTN dataset through retrospective data collection and harmonization efforts is essential to advancing pediatric brain tumor research. By maximizing the potential of multimodal data integration, paired with cutting-edge AI innovations and a strategic approach to real-time application through laboratory projects, researchers and doctors will be able to unlock new insights and drive discoveries that will ultimately improve outcomes for children with brain tumors.
Thank you to all of the LBF donors, sponsors, and supporters who continue to make investments like this possible. To learn more about either of these investments, please reach out to info@lilabeanfoundation.com.
Comments