New treatment approach for deadly brain tumors in children
Official title: Synthetic combination therapy for diffuse midline gliomas
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11042827 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing a new treatment for children with aggressive brain tumors called diffuse midline gliomas, using a special drug that works with radiation therapy to make the treatment more effective and hopefully help kids live longer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $188,753 |
| NIH project number | 5R21CA289565-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11042827 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are children aged 0-11 years diagnosed with diffuse midline gliomas.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other types of brain tumors or those outside the specified age range may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing a combination therapy for diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs), which are aggressive brain tumors in children with a very poor prognosis. The approach involves using a specific inhibitor that targets a protein responsible for detoxifying harmful metabolites in cancer cells, combined with radiation therapy. By inhibiting this protein, the treatment aims to enhance the effectiveness of radiation and potentially improve survival rates for affected children. The research utilizes patient-derived models to test the efficacy of this combination therapy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to a novel treatment that significantly improves survival rates and quality of life for children with diffuse midline gliomas.
How similar studies have gone: While the approach of combining targeted therapies with radiation is being explored, this specific combination targeting GLO1 in DMGs is novel and has not been extensively tested in prior studies.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Viswanath, Pavithra — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Viswanath, Pavithra
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.