A Newcastle-led research team, supported by national and international experts, is advancing efforts to develop life-saving treatments for high grade gliomas (HGG), the most aggressive and lethal form of brain cancer. This work follows the announcement of an $18.7 million grant from the Australian Government through the Frontier Health and Medical Research initiative, part of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). The team, led by Professor Matt Dun of HMRI’s Precision Medicine Research Program at the University of Newcastle, aims to bring next-generation therapies, including drugs capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, to clinical trials within five years, offering hope to patients and families facing currently incurable conditions.
High grade gliomas, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) in children and glioblastoma in adults, affect thousands of Australians each year and are notoriously difficult to treat. These tumours grow in sensitive areas of the brain, resist conventional chemotherapy, and have complex genetic and immunological features. Professor Dun’s team has identified a key gene that drives HGG growth and survival, and preclinical studies show that blocking this gene with new brain-penetrant drugs, particularly in combination with radiotherapy and targeted therapies, can extend survival by more than 150 percent.
The grant will allow the team to further develop a robust pipeline of therapies designed to penetrate the brain and target HGG dependencies, addressing longstanding barriers to treatment. Professor Dun emphasizes that these advances have the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and provide hope where none currently exists, building on decades of research that have struggled to make headway against these aggressive cancers.
The research is deeply personal for Professor Dun, whose daughter Josephine was diagnosed with DIPG in 2018. Through genetic analysis and targeted therapy, she was the first child worldwide to receive paxalisib, which slowed tumor growth and extended her life by an additional year before her passing in 2019. This grant allows the continuation and expansion of research inspired by Josephine’s journey, aiming to transform treatment options for other children and adults affected by HGG.
The initiative is strengthened by extensive collaboration with national and international institutions, including the University of New South Wales, Stanford University, University of Queensland, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and multiple hospitals and research centers across Australia. Vice-Chancellor of the University of Newcastle, Professor Alex Zelinsky AO, highlighted the project as an exemplar of bold, collaborative, and patient-focused university research. Professor Dun describes it as “team science at its best,” emphasizing the collective determination to tackle one of medicine’s most complex and deadly challenges, demonstrating a renewed commitment to addressing critical gaps in brain cancer treatment and research.
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