The 20th century produced a cure for a lot of diseases that were once considered to be incurable like Diptheria or Smallpox. The 21st century is more advanced with several scientific breakthroughs happening every now and then. At Marc Jr Foundation we believe that the cure for DIPG is not far. We have reasons to believe so.
Hundreds of clinical trials have been conducted to attempt to find a cure for DIPG. Not all of them have been successful but some of them provided us vital insights about the epigenetic and genetic mutations of DIPG. Mutations in the DNA are the cause of DIPG and the discovery of Histone H 3.3 and H 3.1 (highly alkaline proteins that order the DNA into structural units called nucleosomes) has been instrumental in understanding DIPG.
In March 2019, researchers at the University of Michigan were able to secure a grant of $429,000 to study an experimental gene therapy. The therapy would be able to enable a person’s immune system to fight the cancer cells if it works. It looks promising.
The future of DIPG looks promising.
In another study titled “See the Change,” researchers at the Genomic Research Institute have been working on a method called “liquid biopsy” through which better diagnosis and monitoring of the DIPG tumor can be made possible. It can also help track DIPG in real time and measure the impact of treatment on the tumor much before MRI scans can.
A research, supported by Michigan Medicine’s Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Initiative found that a gene mutation known as PTEN plays an important role in DIPG’s course in the brain stem. Targetting PTEN may be the path to finding a cure.
Scientists at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University have found a molecule that could stop the development of DIPG. “BET bromodomain inhibitor,” the molecule used in this study, was effective in stopping the growth of the tumor. More trials are yet to be done to prove its efficacy.
The “BRAVO trial” where the clinical effects of a personalized dendritic cell vaccine made from the person’s tumor RNA combined with adoptive T cell therapy are being studied, is also promising.
The future is not so bleak. We urge you to keep believing and keep spreading awareness. It’s all about doing your bit. It’s how author Isabel Allende said, “We only have what we give.”
More such studies can be carried out and our aim to find a cure for DIPG can be attained should we all join hands together for the cause. Marc Jr Foundation is funding research to find a cure. Join our movement.
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