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Research

Our international team highlights issues with efficacy reports in several studies on DMG with the new drug ONC201.

Research

Congenital intracranial meningiomas are rare lesions. We present a case of congenital intraventricular cystic meningioma, initially characterized with fetal MRI and confirmed postnatally with histopathology. To our knowledge, this is the first in vivo description of a congenital meningioma with fetal MRI. The fetal MRI was able to characterize the lesion as an atypical intraventricular mass which was separate from the choroid plexus, differentiating the mass from a choroid plexus neoplasm.

Research

Children with medulloblastoma and ependymoma are treated with a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy; however, overall survival rates for patients with high-risk disease remain unsatisfactory. Data indicate that plant-derived cannabinoids are effective against adult glioblastoma; however, preclinical evidence supporting their use in pediatric brain cancers is lacking. Here we investigated the potential role for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in medulloblastoma and ependymoma. Dose-dependent cytotoxicity of medulloblastoma and ependymoma cells was induced by THC and CBD in vitro, and a synergistic reduction in viability was observed when both drugs were combined.

Research

Cancer vaccination drives the generation of anti-tumor T cell immunity and can be enhanced by the inclusion of effective immune adjuvants such as type I interferons (IFNs). Whilst type I IFNs have been shown to promote cross-priming of T cells, the role of individual subtypes remains unclear. Here we systematically compared the capacity of distinct type I IFN subtypes to enhance T cell responses to a whole-cell vaccination strategy in a pre-clinical murine model.

Research

Each year, approximately 1000 children in Australia and New Zealand, aged 0–14 years, are diagnosed with cancer. Despite paediatric cancer accounting for less than 1% of all cancer cases, the impact on their families and communities is profound and disproportionate.

News & Events

A groundbreaking study from cancer researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia has identified a promising new therapeutic strategy for children battling the most common childhood cancer – B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

News & Events

On Monday 1 September, childhood cancer researcher Jacob Byrne is lacing up his running shoes and taking the first steps of an extraordinary challenge: 30 marathons in 30 days across Perth.

Research

Rearrangements of the Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL/KMT2A) gene are present in approximately 10% of acute leukemias and characteristically define disease with poor outcome.

Research

Antibodies that target immune checkpoints such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4, programmed cell death protein/ligand 1 are approved for treatment of multiple cancer types. 

Research

Cancer cells display DNA hypermethylation at specific CpG islands in comparison to their normal healthy counterparts, but the mechanism that drives this so-called CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) remains poorly understood. Here, we show that CpG island methylation in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) mainly occurs at promoters of Polycomb Repressor Complex 2 (PRC2) target genes that are not expressed in normal or malignant T-cells and which display a reciprocal association with H3K27me3 binding.