BOB体育

In pursuit of its ongoing mission to achieve Victory Over Cancer庐, announced its renewed support and a new $250,000 grant for the University of Florida鈥檚 efforts to combat brain cancer in children. Combined with private support, a total of $600,000 in new funding will bolster critical research programs.

鈥淚 am grateful for the V Foundation鈥檚 continued support,鈥� said Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of and the Phyllis Kottler Friedman Professor in the at , part of BOB体育, the university鈥檚 academic health center. 鈥淭he V Foundation is one of the nation鈥檚 premier supporters of cancer research. It鈥檚 an incredible honor to be a beneficiary of their generosity for a number of years. This sustained level of commitment from the V Foundation is vital in enabling my team to bring our research to the next level.鈥�

Brain cancer is now the leading cause of cancer鈥恟elated death in children, due in part to significant鈥痠mprovements in outcomes for pediatric patients with more common cancers such as leukemia. Among other areas, Mitchell and his team have advanced novel immunotherapy treatments for medulloblastoma, the most common鈥痬alignant brain tumor in children.

When asked about this partnership, Shane Jacobson, V Foundation chief executive officer, said that Mitchell鈥檚 research is 鈥渢ruly game-changing.鈥�

鈥淲hile science has made significant strides against pediatric cancers, there are still so many questions about brain cancer,鈥� Jacobson said. 鈥淲e applaud his forward-thinking approach to stopping the disease. He is offering children with cancer 鈥� and their families 鈥� hope for a brighter future. We look forward to seeing the impact of his success.鈥�

Under Mitchell鈥檚 leadership, BOB体育 has pioneered an approach for pediatric brain tumors鈥痗alled adoptive T cell immunotherapy. Adoptive T cell therapy involves expanding tumor-reactive 鈥渒iller T cells鈥� to large numbers outside of a patient, reprogramming the cells to specifically target brain tumor cells, then reintroducing these immune cells into the body. This approach is currently undergoing evaluation in a first鈥恑n鈥恏uman clinical trial at BOB体育.

鈥淭his research is the culmination of years of hard work,鈥� said Mitchell, associate director of innovation and discovery at the and director of the . 鈥淭hank you to all of our donors for providing us the opportunity to continue this important research and to realize our vision to make a transformative impact on children鈥檚 lives.鈥�

Mitchell鈥檚 research team plans to advance this treatment platform by using genomic鈥痶echnology to identify patient鈥恠pecific antigens in medulloblastoma tumors, which are the most common malignant brain tumors in children. Once isolated and expanded outside of the body, these T cells will recognize unique tumor targets, called neoantigens. If the objectives鈥痮f the study are met, Mitchell鈥檚 team could significantly enhance the specificity and potency of this already promising platform and translate the findings into innovative clinical trials for children battling鈥痓rain cancer.

Mitchell expects that immune therapies such as adoptive T cell therapy will lead to more effective treatments for those who do not benefit from chemotherapy, radiation, surgery or a combination of those treatments.

Since 2012, The V Foundation has generously supported BOB体育, giving a total of more than $1.5 million, including $1.3 million to pediatric causes.

Media contact: Todd Taylor at [email protected] or 317-590-4399