First of Its Kind Clinical Trial for Children With DIPG to Make Data Available in the Cloud

WICHITA, Kan., May 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dragon Master Foundation has announced plans to provide $300,000 in funding for the first clinical trial that will make patient data available live in the cloud while the trial is underway.

The clinical trial is an initiative by the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC) in partnership with the Children's Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium (CBTTC) to accelerate the process of testing new therapies tailored to the cellular pathways or mutations of each child's specific tumor. Samples will be gathered and analyzed quickly enough to use them for guidance in personalized treatments for each patient on the trial. The trial will be for children with High Grade Gliomas (HGG), in particular Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPGs).

The DIPG trial is the first to use such large-scale, next-generation sequencing to inform an individualized treatment plan in children and young adults with newly diagnosed DIPG and utilize an open access research platform to further discovery in real-time. Clinicians can take advantage of advances in gene expression and sequencing technologies to devise a plan using Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs, based on each child's tumor characteristics.

"We have shown it's feasible to collect and analyze samples in a timely fashion, and because not one single tumor looked like another, we've demonstrated the need for individualized, precision medicine approaches," says Sabine Mueller, MD, PhD, MAS, the trial's principal investigator.

"No longer will we have to rely on one-size-fits-all medicine. These patients will get treatments customized to their specific mutations to the full extent of our medical knowledge. It's truly precision medicine, and it is being enabled first for the most vulnerable of patients, those children with DIPG who so desperately need answers before their time runs out," says Amanda Haddock, President of Dragon Master Foundation.

The trial is set to launch in late summer 2017. Dragon Master Foundation's efforts to raise money for the trial have already begun.

About the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC)
The Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC) is a network of 15 children's hospitals that conduct clinical trials of new therapies for children with brain tumors. For more information, visit www.pnoc.us

About the Children's Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium
The Children's Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium is a collaborative research partnership dedicated to improving treatments and outcomes for children diagnosed with brain tumors.  The nucleus of the CBTTC is a state-of-the-art bio-repository and informatics portal, which allows worldwide access to high-quality genomic and clinical tumor data. More information at cbttc.org.

About Dragon Master Foundation
Dragon Master Foundation's mission is to find and accelerate cures for cancers and other diseases by fostering and rewarding a community of collaboration and innovation. They seek to spread awareness, expedite research and kinder treatments, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. For more information, visit www.dragonmasterfoundation.org/clinical-trial-dipg.

Contact: 
Amanda Haddock, President, Dragon Master Foundation,
[email protected], 316-204-2593

Sabine Mueller, MD, PhD, MAS, UCSF, Principal Investigator,
[email protected]

Adam Resnick, PhD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, CBTTC Scientific
Chair, [email protected], 301-728-4653

SOURCE Dragon Master Foundation

Related Links

http://www.dragonmasterfoundation.org