Lilabean Foundation Commits $650,000 to Children’s Brain Tumor Network to Advance Precision Research

The Lilabean Foundation’s support will accelerate the pace of translational research and the discovery of new treatments for children and young adults with brain tumors.

Since 2012, the Lilabean Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research (LBF) has had one goal: to eradicate childhood brain cancer through collaboration and raising awareness of the urgent need for research. Even with this deadly disease affecting over 4,000 children annually, there has never been a drug developed to specifically treat pediatric brain cancer. 

The Lilabean Foundation has made a three-year, $650,000 commitment to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). This will support “Project Accelerate,” a program within the Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN), to advance the pace of translational research and the discoveries of new treatments for children and young adults with brain tumors. 

The CBTN began in 2013 as only four member sites devoted to data sharing. Today, it is a global consortium of 28 institutions throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and the U.S. Together, they are establishing a new standard of care for patients by sharing data, resources, and expertise to accelerate and improve discoveries. It is also important to note the support of foundation partners, such as LBF, to advance the CBTN’s mission illustrates an unwavering commitment to a brighter future for all children. For nearly a decade, this commitment has fueled significant research progress and provided new hope for young patients. And through a continuation of these partnerships, the CBTN will maintain its trajectory toward life-changing clinical impact. Collectively, the consortium has created the first – and now largest – clinically annotated biorepository with real-time query abilities with the opportunity to unlock and analyze specimens to understand their molecular structures. However, the windfall of data has posed a capacity challenge. 

The $650,000 commitment from the Lilabean Foundation will allow CBTN to hire more data engineers and bioinformaticians to increase its capacity to process and empower the data to be used for research worldwide. “This will be the first time that this much data about pediatric brain tumors will be available instantly to researchers and has the potential to ultimately change the landscape of pediatric brain tumor research and care and help find the answers for each child with a brain tumor,” said Adam Resnick, PhD, Co-Director of the Center for D3b at CHOP and Scientific Director of CBTN. “With the support of the Lilabean Foundation, we are one step closer in identifying new treatment strategies that lead to new clinical trials and ultimately cures for brain tumor patients.” The funding is complementary to the recent funding from the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative of the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

LBF is a CBTN Executive Council member and, to date, has funded more than $2 million for childhood brain cancer research over the span of 10 years. Based in Washington, DC, LBF was founded in 2012 by Nicole Giroux in honor of her daughter, Lila, who was diagnosed with a low-grade glioma at 15-months-old. Since her diagnosis, Lila – now 13 years old – has been on many different chemo regimens, and the Giroux family has seen firsthand the urgent need for research to inform safer treatment options

"We are honored to support Project Accelerate and the CBTN team as we work together towards safer, more effective treatments for children like my daughter, Lila,” said Nicole Giroux, Founder and Executive Director of LBF.

About the Lilabean Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research

The Lilabean Foundation for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research (LBF) seeks to fund critical childhood brain cancer research and help raise awareness of the severity of this fatal disease. Our hope is that LBF will have an extraordinary impact on the lives of the many beautiful children affected by this terrible disease.

About the Children’s Brain Tumor Network

The Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) is dedicated to driving innovative discovery, pioneering new treatments and accelerating open science to improve health for all children and young adults diagnosed with a brain tumor. By accelerating the pace of translational research and the discovery of new treatments, the CBTN is a global community with the shared goal to save children and young adults from brain tumors.

About Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

A non-profit, charitable organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, the 595-bed hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. The institution has a well-established history of providing advanced pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital alliances throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as a new inpatient hospital with a dedicated pediatric emergency department in King of Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu