Personalized Treatment Strategies for DIPG

Award: $300,000 over three years

Principal investigators: Sabine Mueller, MD, PhD, Nalin Gupta, MD, PhD and Joseph Costello, PhD

Institution: University of California, San Francisco

Mutations in the gene encoding for histone H3.3 (K27M and G34V/R) have been reported as molecular drivers in pediatric HGGs. Moreover, the presence of K27M mutation correlates with worse clinical outcome. PIs will perform whole exome sequencing and gene expression profiling of tumor tissue from children newly diagnosed with DIPG to explore the genomic heterogeneity and to identify key alterations associated with treatment resistance and progression. This clinical feasibility study is being conducted through the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium.