Four Pennies Supports Project Open DIPG

The DIPG trial is the first in the United States to test the use of next-generation sequencing to inform an individualized treatment plan in children and young adults with newly diagnosed DIPG. Children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and/or high grade gliomas (HGGs) continue to have a dismal prognosis with a median survival time of 9 months. Very little progress has been made over the last four decades of clinical trials, and almost all affected children die from the disease. Because of the perceived risk of biopsy of these tumors, treatment has historically been guided by imaging-only determinations. In recent years, with improved procedures for biopsy and genetic sequencing, the ability to obtain tumor specimens and sequence them allows new understanding of the molecular changes driving tumor growth. This creates the opportunity to define precision medicine approaches for these tumors so the patient receives only the treatment needed to treat their specific tumor type. This project is innovative in many ways but especially when using patient-derived preclinical models to assist in choosing between one of four available Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment options for that patient.