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Children with a brain tumor diagnosis face the daunting prospect of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. While these treatments can be successful, some brain tumors continue to grow and spread in the brain, which can make them impossible to treat. In addition, current treatments can adversely impact a child's cognitive, emotional and physical well-being. New treatments against the most aggressive brain tumors to reduce the burden of tumors in children and increase their quality of life are needed. Dr. Stewart and colleagues will develop new technologies and test new drugs that will allow to rapidly transplant patient tumor cells into models to make hundreds of model avatars that can then be treated with a panel of drugs to identify the most effective treatments for a child's specific tumor, focusing on very aggressive tumors first. Dr. Stewart and team expects this information will be used to help guide doctors decisions on the best treatment options to eliminate the child's tumor and minimize side effects.

This grant is funded by and named for the Kai Slockers Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. Kai was diagnosed at 2½ with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT), a rare and very aggressive brain cancer. Within two weeks of diagnosis, he passed away, a mere 3 months shy of his third birthday. When Kai took his last breath, the cloudy sky opened up with a bright ray of sun that streamed through the windows of his hospital room – the darkness of the disease was replaced with the light of hope and the peace of no more suffering. Whenever the sun is out, his family thinks of him, assured that his legacy of hope shines on. This Hero Fund was created in his memory and will support research to help other kids with cancer have a better chance to fight and survive. It has a special focus on brain tumor research, specifically treatments that could minimize the harsh effects of brain tumor treatment.