YOU Hold the Key to Unlocking a $100,000 Match!
YOUR DONATION WILL DOUBLE FROM NOW UNTIL DECEMBER 31ST THANKS TO A GENEROUS DONATION FROM
DANYELLE FREEMAN & JOSH RESNICK.
We're on a Mission!
Right now, 15 kids are waiting for a potentially life-saving CAR T-Cell
treatment for brain cancer — treatment that could give them a chance to beat cancer when other options have failed.
If we can meet the match, nearly HALF of the kids waiting for treatment will move off of the waiting list and into this groundbreaking clinical trial. Join us in our mission to get as many children as possible off the waiting list and into treatment. Together, we can give them a fighting chance against pediatric cancer.
About the Trial
Project Overview: HER2 CAR T-Cell Treatment for Recurrent Ependymoma
Recipient: Dr. Meenakshi G. Hegde, Texas Children’s Cancer Center
In 2023, Cookies for Kids' Cancer funded a research grant for a CAR T-cell treatment for kids battling ependymoma––a type of brain cancer. Fast forward to 2024 and that research has led to a clinical trial being conducted at a dozen hospitals across the country. Today, there is a waiting list of 15 kids hoping to enroll.
Below is information about the trial, provided by Dr. Hegde and her team.
Brain tumors, particularly ependymoma, are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. This cancer affects children mostly younger than 5 years of age and often recurs after treatment. The standard treatment for newly diagnosed ependymoma is surgery followed by radiation therapy to the tumor area (for children older than 1 year). Many children benefit from this treatment, however, the chances of the tumor coming back are very high, and traditional chemotherapy offers minimal or no benefit. Repeat surgery is often used to treat tumor recurrences as there is no curative treatment available. The long-term outcomes are poor for children with recurrent ependymoma due to neurological limitations and compromised quality of life, and many die from progressive cancer.
With support from Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, we are exploring the use of CAR T-cells, engineered to target HER2, a protein found in most ependymoma tumors. We are conducting a clinical trial to assess the safety and effectiveness of this treatment, potentially combined with surgery, to prevent recurrence and improve survival.
“With the support from Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, we will help establish a pathway for conducting multi-center clinical trials of complex cell therapies and thus, make a difference to children with cancer in the long-term."
- Dr. Meenakshi G. Hegde
Participating Hospitals
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles | Children’s Hospital Colorado | Children’s National Medical Center | University of Florida Health Science Center in Gainesville | Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center | Nationwide Children’s Hospital | Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC | Texas Children’s Hospital.