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Based on progress to date, Dr. Wu was awarded a new grant in 2023 and 2024 to fund an additional year of this Scholar grant. Diffuse midline glioma (DMG) is a fatal brain cancer in children and there are no effective treatments. The brain's natural barrier prevents drugs from reaching the tumor. Focused ultrasound (FUS) uses sound waves to temporarily open the blood brain barrier to increase drug delivery to the protected tumor cells in the brain. Dr. Wu will be using panobinostat, a promising drug tested in cancer cells in the laboratory to examine if FUS can increase its delivery and whether the addition of radiation can further improve the outcomes. This grant was awarded at Columbia University Medicine Center and transferred to Virginia Tech.

The 2023 and 2024 years of this grant is co-funded by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.

The 2021 and 2022 years of this grant are funded by and named for Hannah’s Heroes, a St. Baldrick's Hero Fund established to honor Hannah Meeson. At age six she was diagnosed with anaplastic medulloblastoma. After a relapse and several additional months of treatment, Hannah currently shows no evidence of disease. Throughout her treatments, Hannah never complained and remained positive and happy. This fund pays tribute to her fight by raising awareness and funding for all childhood cancers because kids like Hannah “are worth fighting for.”