our projects
Project DeLaRosa
The Glioblastoma Research Organization (GBMRO) announces its largest donation to date, $80,000, to fund Project DeLaRosa in partnership with Children's National Hospital. The research, "Longitudinal Biopsy for Evaluation of Treatment Response and Tumor Immune-microenvironment for Diffuse Midline Glioma in the Murine Model," targets pediatric tumors, aiming to revolutionize the understanding and treatment of aggressive central nervous system (CNS) tumors.
About Project DeLaRosa
CNS tumors, such as diffuse midline glioma (DMG), an inoperable and aggressive pediatric brain tumor, are notorious for evading treatment through their diverse cell populations, manipulating the immune system, and escaping therapeutic agents that can’t cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Current research focuses on developing new therapeutic strategies and medications to overcome these obstacles.
“Project DeLaRosa marks a significant milestone for our organization's brain cancer research-funding mission. Pediatric brain tumors, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children, demand urgent attention,” mentions Amber Barbach, founder and director of the GBMRO. “We are proud to support world-class research at Children's National Hospital, whose team ensures providers are equipped to improve pediatric healthcare now and into the future."
Led by Javad Nazarian, Ph.D., M.Sc. and its global DMG-ACT pre-clinical team, Project DeLaRosa will fund the NICO Myriad Biopsy System, suitable to precisely collect tumor samples from the brain stem. The research involves a novel longitudinal biopsy technique in a murine (mouse) model, which enables researchers to take multiple samples from the same tumor over time. This approach provides invaluable insights into how the cancer responds to treatment, potentially leading to developing new, more effective drug combinations and personalized treatment strategies for patients.
"Project DeLaRosa holds promise in transforming treatment for pediatric brain tumors like diffuse midline glioma (DMG) and could provide crucial insights into tumor response and the immune microenvironment," emphasizes Dr. Javad Nazarian. "We are grateful for the Glioblastoma Research Organization's support of our mission to advance innovative research that directly impacts patients and families.”
In loving memory of our parents Christine DeLaRosa and Bernie DeLaRosa who both passed away from Glioblastoma within 15 months of each other. They taught us to advocate for ourselves and others so we honor them and their legacy as we strive to find the cause and cure.
