CBTN: 2022 Year in Review
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Children's Brain Tumor Network
Over the past year, the Children’s Brain Tumor Network has been honored to work with a global and diverse community of physicians, scientists, patient families, and foundations, all dedicated to the vision of a future free of brain cancer in children. From new research partnerships to expanded resources and scientific innovations, 2022 was an incredibly impactful year for the CBTN. And all of this could not be possible without the passionate support and humbling faith in CBTN's vision that has been demonstrated, time and again, by the patient families and foundations across our network of philanthropic partners.
We invite you to look back on some of the notable stories we’ve share over the last 12 months, which reflect the progress that has been made through a shared and unceasing commitment to work together on behalf of children everywhere.
A Conversation with CBTN’s New Executive Co-Chair, Dr. Sabine Mueller
In the fall of 2022, we announced that Dr. Sabine Mueller will be expanding her involvement in CBTN’s leadership by stepping into the role of Executive Board Co-Chair. We spoke with her about this new role, including her focus on expanding collaborations and making CBTN data more readily accessible to researchers everywhere.
A Message from the Outgoing CBTN Co-Chair, Dr. Angela Waanders
Since 2018, Dr. Angela Waanders served as CBTN Co-Chair, completing her term of service during 2022. Her fervor for advancing CBTN's mission and her determination to support its continued growth remains as strong as ever. Angela joins with keen anticipation for all that is soon to come.
2022 CBTN Network Meeting & Scientific Summit
In October, CBTN held our 2022 Network Meeting & Scientific Summit, featuring the latest scientific findings and projects currently underway to advance pediatric brain tumor research around the world. More than 150 attendees participated, and dozens of presentations were given by physician scientists, bioinformaticians, research advocates and professors.
Open science, a pioneering spirit, and commitment to global inclusion are the core values of CBTN used to drive and accelerate pediatric brain tumor research. In recognition of trailblazing projects that embody these values, CBTN honored several Research Champions at this year’s CBTN Network Dinner & Awards Ceremony:
- Open Science Champion: Lukas Chavez, PhD, Assistant Professor, UC San Diego Health
- Pioneering Spirit Champion: Avi Ma’Ayan, PhD, Professor of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Global Inclusion Champion: Sebastian Waszak, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology, UCSF School of Medicine
To honor the impact partner foundations have made in furthering CBTN’s mission to uncover
cures for every child, CBTN was also proud to present Lilabean Foundation with the Impact Award for its generous Project Accelerate support.
Lilabean Foundation Commits $650,000 to Advance Precision Research and Discoveries
In 2022, the Lilabean Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumor Research made a three-year, $650,000 commitment to support CBTN’s Project Accelerate to advance the pace of translational research and to increase CBTN’s capacity to process and empower pediatric brain tumor data to be used for research worldwide.
Building FHIR – A New Standard for Data Integrity and Sharing
An exciting step forward has been made across the CBTN’s data ecosystem to enhance our ability to share data more easily between clinics, labs, institutions, and research areas. Experts are standardizing and automating the task of harmonizing vast amounts of clinical and multi-omic data and expanding their availability across the childhood cancer research landscape.
Pediatric Cancer Researchers Use AWS to Accelerate Cancer Moonshot
Together, AWS and the CBTN will enable researchers and clinicians to share and analyze medical record, imaging, genomic, and other data in near real-time to speed development of new therapies for pediatric brain cancers. Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN), Amazon Web Services (AWS) clinical leadership, and patient advocates met to discuss how technology can improve approaches to pediatric oncology research.
CureMEdullo – A Targeted Approach to Medulloblastoma Research
The Carson Leslie Foundation has teamed up with CBTN to develop medulloblastoma care custom-tailored to each patient and adjustable in real time. Together, #cureMEdullo and CBTN will give doctors the absolute latest and best data to effectively treat every patient every time.
Indigenous Inclusion in Sample-Based Research
Indigenous leaders in medicine and research joined CBTN & PNOC's Dr. Cassie Kline to discuss the historical impact anti-Indigenous medical research on the modern landscape of clinical research and how Indigenous researchers are taking the health of their communities into their own hands.
Harnessing Data to Accelerate Discovery and Treatment of Brain Tumors
With data generated from its newest initiative — Project Accelerate — CBTN is poised to dramatically expand what is known about pediatric brain tumors and advance the pace of translational research and the discovery of new treatments for children and young adults with brain tumors.
CAR T-cell Therapy for Pediatric Brain Tumors: Q&A With Jessica Foster, MD
Jessica Foster MD of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is investigating chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for brain tumors. This summer, she spoke with the CHOP Research Institute’s Cornerstone blog to about her research and how CBTN resources are helping to shape and form her work, and hopefully, accelerate discovery.
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Helping a Vision Become Reality: Reflections on the Growth of CBTN from Kortney Rose Foundation Co-Founder, Kristen Gillette
At the close of 2021, CBTN founding partners, the Kortney Rose Foundation announced their decision to close down active operations after an incredible 16-year history. CBTN was honored to share this message of reflection from pediatric brain tumor research advocate, philanthropist, parent, and co-founder of KRF, Kristen Gillette.
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