Recipient: Dr Nick Gottardo
Institute: Telethon Kids Institute
Funding: $256,342 July 2018 to June 2020
Reducing the long term toxicity of brain cancer treatment regimens
This project aims to find new treatments for brain cancer to reduce the long-term toxicities associated with current regimens.
Almost all survivors of medulloblastoma suffer from harsh long-term side effects of treatment. Radiation therapy is essential to cure children, but causes detrimental effects with decline in IQ the most troubling.
The Gottardo lab will investigate a novel drug called prexasertib (iCHK). Previous studies have shown that iCHK increases medulloblastoma cell death after radiation and/or chemotherapy. The team will test a new hypothesis that less radiation will be needed to kill the same amount of cells. Using sophisticated laboratory models, they will determine if treatments of lower dose radiotherapy and iCHK are as effective as higher dose radiation.
Evidence gathered from this study will have strong potential to change the future clinical management of children with medulloblastoma. In the short term, findings will justify an early phase clinical trial to evaluate the safety of these drugs, which is the first step to getting new medicines approved.