Dr. Adam Green joined the neuro-oncology group at Children’s Hospital Colorado in 2014. Hehas a dual role – caring for patients at Children’s Hospital Colorado in the pediatric neuro-oncology department and conducting research for The Morgan
Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program. His goal is to develop better treatments, and ultimately a cure, for rare brain tumors that
have low survival rates. Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), which has a 0% survival rate, is at the top of his list. The tumor is rare: about
200 patients, mostly between the ages of five and nine, are diagnosed each year in the U.S. The sole treatment option for DIPG is radiation, which
only serves to slow the tumor’s progression, not stop it.
WHY STUDY DIPG?
I planned to become a pediatrician when I was in high school and I was a neurobiology major in college. I became interested in pediatric brain tumors in
medical school and then specifically in DIPG because of a patient I treated during my first year of fellowship. It felt unacceptable to me that we
still have a disease in our field for which we can offer patients and families no hope for cure, unlike every other cancer we treat. I felt compelled
to try to change this through research.
medical school and then specifically in DIPG because of a patient I treated during my first year of fellowship. It felt unacceptable to me that we
still have a disease in our field for which we can offer patients and families no hope for cure, unlike every other cancer we treat. I felt compelled
to try to change this through research.
RESEARCH FOCUS:
In my work on DIPG to this point, we have used cell culture and lab models of the disease, created directly from patient tumor samples, to identify new
weaknesses in these tumors and try to exploit those weaknesses through new treatments. We have been able to bring two of these treatments into clinical
trials.
weaknesses in these tumors and try to exploit those weaknesses through new treatments. We have been able to bring two of these treatments into clinical
trials.
GETTING CHEMO TO THE TUMOR:
One trial is designed to determine whether chemotherapy delivered orally or by IV can penetrate to DIPG tissue enough to have an effect. The trial arose
from work conducted in our lab as part of The Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program and is currently expanding to other hospitals.
The trial will help us decide whether we should continue to investigate new medicines delivered by these routes or focus on delivering chemotherapy
directly to the tumor. I am confident we’ll be able to answer this question.
from work conducted in our lab as part of The Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Program and is currently expanding to other hospitals.
The trial will help us decide whether we should continue to investigate new medicines delivered by these routes or focus on delivering chemotherapy
directly to the tumor. I am confident we’ll be able to answer this question.
ONE TRIAL COMING UP:
Dr. Green and his colleagues will present findings from this clinical trial at the International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology,
taking place this July in Denver.
taking place this July in Denver.
