November 20, 2019  Print

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) was delighted to welcome representatives from The DIPG Collaborative, as they presented a research grant cheque for $146,298.29 to Dr Han Shen.

Left to right: Ren Pedersen (The Cure Starts Now), Dr Han Shen, Dr Eric Hau, Dr Robert Rapkins (Cure Brain Cancer), Professor Anna deFazio and Dr Dinny Graham.













 

 

Dr Shen will use the funding to research potential new therapies for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) – a rare and incurable brain tumour that arises in the brainstem of children, mainly aged between six and nine. Unlike many brain tumours, DIPGs cannot be removed through surgery due to its sensitive location.

The standard of care today remains radiation therapy alone. Unfortunately, almost all DIPGs recur within 12 months due to radioresistance. This is when the tumour cells or tissues adapt to the radiotherapy treatment and develop resistance.

Therefore, it is important to understand how and why radioresistance occurs, as this may be used to improve the sensitivity to radiation therapy and offer a pathway to the development of new therapies for this deadly brain tumour.

We are incredibly proud of Dr Shen’s work to improve outcomes for this highly-aggressive cancer.

Thank you to the DIPG Collaborative and The Cure Starts Now for supporting WIMR’s work, and to the wonderful donors who made this grant possible.

For more information about how you can support Dr Shen’s work, or any of the other life-changing research carried out at WIMR,
visit https://www.westmeadinstitute.org.au/support-us/donate-to-research/donate-now

The DIPG Collaborative:
www.dipgcollaborative.org.au
https://www.facebook.com/dipgcollaborative1/

The Cure Starts Now Australia social media links:
www.thecurestartsnow.org.au
FACEBOOK - @TheCureStartsNowAustralia   TWITTER - @CureStartsNowAu