LBF Supports New Position at the Brain Tumor Institute at Children’s National Hospital

LBF has made a three-year, $480,000 commitment to fund the DMG/DIPG Research Lab Program Manager Position at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. to continue progress towards a cure.

The Lilabean Foundation believes that it is the researchers and scientists who are instrumental in creating real progress in the fight against pediatric brain cancer, but between caring for patients, managing multiple research projects, working to publish findings, managing their teams, and so much more, these researchers are often stretched thin. Children are dying from brain cancer, and these researchers understand there is truly no time to waste. For this reason, the Lilabean Foundation is thrilled to announce a three-year, $480,000 pledge to Children’s National Hospital to support a dedicated Lab Program Manager for the DMG/DIPG Lab within its Brain Tumor Institute.

Over the past three years, Javad Nazarian, Ph.D., M.Sc., scientific director of the Brain Tumor Institute at Children’s National Hospital, and his team have quickly amplified their important research efforts in search of a cure. Part of this amplification is an international DMG/DIPG Translational Research Program out of Dr. Nazarian’s lab in Zurich, Switzerland. Their standard for DMG/DIPG global integration and access has come to be used as a model for difficult-to-treat brain tumors as they lead the way and exemplify the importance and success of collaboration. 

This mission has continued to expand through establishing the Diffuse Midline Glioma-Adaptive Combinatory Trial (DMG-ACT) which is a working group of 18 international institutions. These institutions utilize their individual strengths to expedite pre-clinical processes and advance the right drugs to clinic in record time. This group has generated data to support two new clinical trials in less than 36 months which is a rare feat in this space. But with this incredible progress and momentum comes more strain on Dr. Nazarian and his current team. As the research initiatives grow in meaningful ways, so must program infrastructure to ensure maximum productivity. 

For this reason, the new Lab Program manager at Children’s National will be instrumental in allowing the labs to continue to accelerate momentum to find effective treatments. This position will focus on maximizing research opportunities, activity and collaborations within the program, help with vital administrative tasks such as grant applications, increasing journal article acceptance rates and more. Lilabean is honored to continue to support the research and the individuals who are vital in helping us progress towards a cure for the deadliest types of pediatric brain tumors. Check out the clip from Dr. Javad Nazarian discussing the need and his gratitude to this community.