New Hope for Children with Aggressive Brain Tumors

Using Macrophages to Fight Tumor Cells

A serious diagnosis
Diffuse midline glioma is a particularly aggressive brain tumor that occurs in children between the ages of five and ten. To date, radiation therapy is the only treatment option. Unfortunately, despite treatment, these young patients usually die within a year of diagnosis. There is an urgent need for new, more effective treatment options.

Macrophages—A promising approach
The team led by Roberto Speck and Simon Bredl is exploring a novel immunotherapy that offers hope to patients and their families: The researchers were able to demonstrate that genetically modified phagocytes, known as macrophages, are capable of successfully destroying tumor cells. Their vision is to isolate macrophages from the blood, genetically modify them, and return them to the body via infusion. These modified macrophages are expected to penetrate the tumor, bypass its defense mechanisms, and thereby enable other immune cells to work together with them to destroy the cancer cells.

Collaboration with the University Children’s Hospital Zurich
Following successes in treating breast cancer, the researchers now want to apply this approach to diffuse midline glioma. To this end, they are working closely with Professor Javad Nazarian from the DIPG/DMG Center at the University Children’s Hospital Zurich, an expert in this specific type of tumor. The goal of the project is to develop a novel cell therapy that will lead to a longer-lasting remission—that is, a phase in which no cancer cells are detectable—or even a cure for the affected children.

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