Brain Cancer Canada Awards a $50,000 Grant to Discover How to Use the Body’s Own Immune Cells to Attack Pediatric Brain Cancers
TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brain Cancer Canada is excited to announce a $50,000 grant awarded to Dr. Shawn Beug, Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, and his team. The project aims to create personalized therapies for pediatric brain cancers by utilizing the body’s own immune cells to combat this disease.
The project proposes the use of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) which involves the isolation of immune cells from the patient’s tumor, expanding these immune cells outside of the body, and re-introducing these expanded immune cells back into the patient.
“Pediatric malignant brain tumours are the number one cause of cancer death in children. This group of patients is in dire need of safe and effective therapies that also allow survivors a good quality of life. Cancer immunotherapy for brain tumours, a highly innovative and forward-thinking therapeutic approach, offers a path of hope for cancers that have not historically responded well to standard chemoradiation. Our research makes use of the patient's own immune cells to fight the cancer,” highlights Dr. Beug.
“In Canada, cancer immunotherapy for brain tumours is in early phases of development and requires proof-of-concept data. The support from Brain Cancer Canada fundraisers, donors, and philanthropists is critical to our effort to change outcomes for pediatric brain cancer patients and their families,” says Dr. Beug.
This means that collaboration will be critical to change the landscape of treatment offered. The team will be engaging with Canadian Blood Services and the Ottawa Hospital, which has a unique facility for TIL manufacturing for early phase clinical trials, to help bring the work to fruition.
This project is a partnership between the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), The University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canadian Blood Services, and Tammy Bell, a highly engaged family advisor.
“Pediatric brain cancer research is some of the most underfunded. Too many parents have already lost their children to this disease for which we do not yet have effective treatments. Dr. Beug and team are at the forefront of accelerating the science that could change the treatment of these lethal brain cancers,” said Anita Angelini, Brain Cancer Canada Vice-Chair. “If we want to change outcomes for patients and families, investing in early-stage, proof-of-concept research is a must. Time is of the essence and the technologies that are available to us today, and continue to evolve, are promising. We are deeply grateful to our donors that have made investment in this research possible.”
This funding will support groundbreaking studies that explore new treatment avenues, harnessing the power of the immune system to provide hope for young patients and their families facing this devastating disease.
For more details about this leading-edge research initiative and other efforts by Brain Cancer Canada, please contact: sac@braincancercanada.ca
Brain Cancer Canada is a national charity dedicated to supporting individuals diagnosed with malignant brain tumors. Through funding innovative research, neurosurgical technology, and advocating for increased options for treatments, Brain Cancer Canada aims to improve survival rates and the quality of life for patients, while providing essential support to their families.
This funding reflects our unwavering commitment to support research in pediatric brain cancer, addressing an inequity in funding and pursuing unmet needs.
Media Contact:
Media@braincancercanada.ca
If you wish to make a donation to Brain Cancer Canada, please visit: https://braincancercanada.ca/donate/
Contact Brain Cancer Canada by phone: 1-855-375-1381
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