Development of the Ganglioside GD2 as a Biomarker and Clinical Trial Endpoint for Childhood Cancers

GD2 is a molecule expressed on the surface of tumors such as high grade glioma or medulloblastoma. and GD2 has many of the characteristics of an ideal biomarker. Biomarkers can be used as therapeutic targets for the treatment of cancer and can also serve to provide accurate prognostics and predict treatment response. The goal of this project is to determine GD2 concentrations in patients with a variety of common childhood cancers, including brain tumors, and in children without cancer. Researchers hypothesize that GD2 will not be quantifiable in the serum of patients with most common types of childhood cancer and children without cancer and that GD2 is a tumor-specific biomarker for neuroblastoma and brain tumors. The Children’s Brain Tumor Network contributed to this project by providing plasma samples that will be screened for the presence of GD2. Validation of GD2 as a tumor biomarker opens the door to new therapies and could help to expedite clinical trial processes leading to faster development.