St. Jude Children’s Hospital estimates that approximately 400,000 children worldwide will receive a cancer diagnosis this year. In the U.S., advancements in research and treatment have contributed to higher survival rates, with 80% of children living five years or more post-treatment. However, significant efforts are still required to further improve this statistic and to discover cures for rarer forms of cancer.
Fernando Goldsztein observed, “Children with brain tumors have been neglected. Astonishingly, the treatments are very old, dating back to the 1980s.”
Fernando’s son, Frederico, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at nine years old. Medulloblastoma, while the most common brain tumor in children, remains rare, affecting only five out of one million children annually. This rarity has presented difficulties in securing funding for new research.
Fernando recounted, “Unfortunately, he relapsed. Doctors at that time informed me there was nothing more to be done to save my son and advised me to go home and spend time with him.”
The five-year survival rate for medulloblastoma patients typically exceeds 80%. However, if the disease recurs, this survival rate dramatically drops to below 40%.
Fernando explained, “When I received that devastating news five years ago, after about two weeks, I somewhat recovered – you never truly recover, right? – but I resolved, ‘I’ve got to do something, I will do something.’”
Fernando has since committed himself to finding a cure for Frederico, who at 18 years old is still contending with recurrent medulloblastoma. Two years following Frederico’s cancer relapse, Fernando co-founded the Medulloblastoma Initiative, or MBI, with Dr. Roger Packer, one of the world’s foremost Medulloblastoma researchers at Children’s National Hospital.
Fernando stated, “Our objective is to find a cure for this disease as swiftly as possible. It’s a model that brings together the leading minds in the field. MBI is fundamentally about collaboration and synergy. For scientists to receive our funding, they must work collectively as a group.”
The initiative has successfully united over a dozen laboratories from across the globe.
Fernando commented, “By each entity possessing a piece of the puzzle, we have been able to advance very quickly and are achieving highly compelling results.”
Through its collaborative efforts with MBI, the group has facilitated the expedited progression of at least two clinical trials at the University of Florida for medulloblastoma, with numerous other studies currently in progress.
Fernando noted, “We have many more projects in our pipeline. We are excited by these results.”
In a clinical trial financed by MBI, scientists are engaged in programming patients’ white blood cells to locate and eliminate tumor cells. The outcomes have shown promise, with one participant experiencing the near-elimination of their cancer.
In a separate study, still undergoing testing on mice, scientists at the are investigating an experimental mRNA-based cancer vaccine. This research could potentially lead to a universal injection designed to stimulate a patient’s immune system in its battle against cancer.
All donations contributed to MBI are entirely dedicated to supporting research and clinical trials aimed at helping children like Frederico. Fernando reports that his son is doing well, largely thanks to much of the new research being conducted.
Fernando remarked, “He is an exceptional case, but we understand that this type of tumor tends to return, making it a race against time. That is why we are moving rapidly to save him and to save thousands of other children worldwide.”
Further details or opportunities to donate to the Medulloblastoma Initiative are available.