Latest News

• NCCN commemorates World Cancer Day with new commitment to update patient resources        

  Good news! The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) patient guidelines are free, evidence-based resources written in plain language that reflect expert consensus cancer treatment guidelines used by clinicians worldwide to support decision-making. NCCN usually updates the patient guidelines for each cancer category every few years, but they just recently announced that all patient guidelines will be updated annually to better keep pace with advances in cancer care and expand access across multiple languages. This is a positive step forward; the last NCCN patient guidelines for gliomas was issued in 2024 (see here).

  
  
• Providence Therapeutics Announces World-First Personalized Pediatric mRNA Cancer Vaccine Trial        

  A promising new pediatric brain tumor trial that will test personalized mRNA cancer vaccines is opening across multiple sites in Australia. The PaedNEO-VAX trial, funded by Providence Therapeutics alongside the Australian government and philanthropic partners, will enroll children and adolescents with recurrent or progressive high-grade glioma, diffuse midline glioma, medulloblastoma, and ependymoma.

  Using tumor genome sequencing, each child’s cancer will be analyzed to identify individualized targets, followed by manufacture of a custom mRNA vaccine using Providence’s platform, with an anticipated turnaround of about 10 weeks from enrollment to dosing. Phase I will assess safety and dosing, and Phase II will evaluate progression, survival, and quality of life outcomes. The trial builds on Providence’s prior compassionate-use experience, including treatment of the company founder’s son with a personalized mRNA vaccine.

  Providence has expressed interest in working with partners in the United States and Canada, including patient advocacy organizations, to explore launching a similar North American trial.

  
  
• Itaconate identified as a new target for pediatric brain tumors called ependymomas        

  Researchers from the University of Michigan have reported a new metabolic vulnerability in pediatric ependymoma, a common childhood brain tumor that remains incurable with current therapies. Standard treatment today is maximal surgical resection followed by radiation, with chemotherapy offering limited benefit and no approved targeted therapies. In this new study, the investigators showed that most supratentorial ependymomas driven by the ZFTA-RELA fusion protein depend on production of itaconate, a metabolite usually made by immune cells. They found that tumor cells generate itaconate via the enzyme ACOD1, and that itaconate and ZFTA-RELA form a feed-forward loop that promotes tumor growth through glutamine metabolism. Blocking this pathway reduced fusion protein levels and shrank tumors in mouse models, providing the first evidence that ZFTA-RELA-driven ependymomas can be targeted indirectly. The researchers are now working with the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC) to develop a clinical trial targeting the itaconate pathway.

  
  
• College scholarship opportunity for NY/NJ/CT pediatric brain tumor survivors        

  If you are a brain or spinal cord tumor survivor, living in the NY/NJ/CT area, you are eligible to apply for a Making Headway college scholarship. In 2026, Making Headway will offer at least 15 scholarships, each worth up to $5,000. A special $15,000 scholarship will also be given as part of the 7th annual Michael Schwartz Making Headway Scholarship.

  To be eligible for consideration, each applicant must:
  1. Be a brain or spinal cord tumor survivor (diagnosed before the age of 18)
  2. Reside in the New York City metropolitan area (including New Jersey and Connecticut)
  3. Have been admitted to, or be currently attending, a two- or four-year college or vocational program.

  For additional requirements, to download the application, or apply online, visit http://makingheadway.org/scholarship.
  
  The deadline for the applications to be submitted in May 1, 2026. If you have any questions, please email Jennifer@MakingHeadway.org.

  
  
• Artwork needed!        

  Kids and adults living with brain tumors - we invite you to submit original painting/drawings through your unique lens. Selected pieces may be featured in our upcoming 13th edition of the Musella Foundations Brain Tumor Guide to help raise awareness and inspire others facing similar paths.

  Please submit your high resolution image that will appear in black & white to: Musella@virtualtrials.org.