Pilot Studies of Radiation and TORC Kinase Inhibition in DIPG

Background

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma is the pediatric brain tumor with the worst prognosis, and new therapies are desperately needed. Activation of a protein known as mTOR has been identified in DIPG. It has been discovered that a drug called TAK228 inhibits mTOR in DIPG, resulting in the death of tumor cells, and it works together with radiation to do this in the dish.

Project Goal

Smit will be working to test if TAK228 and radiation will kill tumor cells in the dish, and investigate if it will do the same in a mouse’s brain. They will perform studies to determine if mice will tolerate TAK228 and radiation, and if it will lead to a decreased tumor growth. The end goal is to have determined the optimal dosing scheme for combination studies of TAK228 and radiation, and have some early indication if this will work to slow tumor growth.