NEWS ABOUT THE CURE

What is the Difference Between DIPG and DMG and what is the H3K27M Histone Mutation?

The following article originally appeared on DIPG.org DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) and DMG (Diffuse Midline Glioma) are often categorized together but can have different treatments that can lead to slightly different prognosis paths. Still, much of the science, the research, foundational funding and data for both types of brain tumors are grouped under DIPG, mainly because historically much of the work researching DIPG since around 2012 led to the reclassification and current definit

HeART Auction Raises Over $20,000 to Fund Brain Cancer Research

The HeART Auction, organized by a 17-year-old sibling of a DIPG warrior, is truly an example of kids helping kids.  When Grace Desserich was only 4-years-old she watched her sister, Elena, battle a difficult to treat form of pediatric brain cancer known as DIPG. Though she was very young, Grace’s heartbreak was huge. After her sister’s death, their parents started The Cure Starts Now Foundation to fund research so no other family or sibling would have to face this harsh reality of cancer.  Today

Maria Tsoli: Beyond the Lab

Senior Research Officer at Children's Cancer Institute, Sydney The Cure Starts Now recently sat down and had a conversation with leading DIPG researcher, Dr. Maria Tsoli: Why did you decide to focus your research on DIPG/DMG?"My family has gone through the pain of losing people that were dearly loved from aggressive cancer. Like every other family in the world, we spent many hours researching for local and overseas clinical trials. The feeling of running out of time and the agony of not being a

Oren Becher: Beyond the Lab

Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Northwestern The Cure Starts Now recently sat down and had a conversation with leading DIPG researcher, Dr. Oren Becher: Why did you decide to focus your research on DIPG/DMG?"When I was training to become a pediatric oncologist at MSKCC, I cared for a few children with DIPG, and learned very quickly that practically no one was doing research on DIPG/DMG. This was around 2006-2007. This motivated me to choose to focus

COVID-19's Impact on Grant Funding

The world was forced to grind to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The shutdown has caused a domino effect, that is being heavily felt by many, including nonprofits like The Cure Starts Now.  I sat down with Keith Desserich, Co-Founder and Chairman of The Cure Starts Now, to gain insight into how this global pandemic is impacting the crucial research funding we provide to the brain cancer community. Research Fundraising Due to potential COVID-19 health risks and mandatory stay-at-home or

Beyond the Lab: Dr. Maria (Mara) Vinci

Maria Vinci Group Leader at Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital, Italy The Cure Starts Now recently sat down and had a conversation with leading DIPG researcher, Dr. Mara Vinci: Why did you decide to focus your research on DIPG/DMG?"I started working on DIPG in 2012, the same year the two landmark papers came out describing the histone mutations in pediatric high-grade glioma. It was the beginning of a new era!! At that time I was a PostDoc in Chris Jones lab and I became very interested and passi

How Are You Giving Back on #GivingTuesdayNow?

Donate Today  Donate via Facebook #GivingTuesdayNow is here and The Cure Starts Now, one of the leading funders of pediatric brain cancer research, is asking for your help.  #GivingTuesdayNow, is a global day of generosity and unity that is taking place today, May 5, 2020, as an emergency response to the unparalleled effects COVID-19 has caused (the original #GivingTuesday, will still take place as scheduled on December 1, 2020).  This day is designed to unite the world with one purpose, GIVE. 

What to do When You're Diagnosed With DIPG

When You're First Diagnosed With DIPG Hello everybody. I'm Keith. I'm with The Cure Starts Now. I talked to you a little bit today about what to do when you're newly diagnosed. When you're first diagnosed with DIPG, sometimes it can be very daunting to figure out what's the next steps. At that point, you're pretty much grappling with obviously caring for your child, trying to be able to figure out what exactly has just happened. In many ways you're not ready for the next steps. And those step

What Life is Like on MRI Day

One of the most stressful moments for families battling cancer is going through MRI day to see the progress of the treatments they have chosen.  On top of the stress of finding out the status of the cancer, parents battle the anxiety of possible choices that need to be made, as well as, most children have to be sedated for the procedure, which brings a long list of side effects and jitters.  Most cancer families call all of these piled up nerves as “scanxiety”. Mackenzie is a vibrant 5-year-old,

Why Childhood Brain Cancer is the Final Frontier of Curing Cancer

For decades we’ve talked about “curing” cancer, yet for nearly a century cancer has continued to elude our efforts.  Is it because our research is flawed?  Possibly cancer is just too tough to beat?  I would argue it is a fault of neither; instead, I believe it has to do with our strategy.  Fundamentally we as a society have equated a “cure” with “treatment” and in doing so we have failed those that fight the battle against cancer each and every day.  Certainly we’ve improved odds of survival an