Children’s hospitals, cancer centers lose funding for brain tumor trials

Children’s hospitals and cancer centers are halting enrollment in pediatric brain tumor studies after the federal government paused funding, The New York Times reported Aug. 28. 

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium includes more than a dozen children’s hospitals and academic centers across the U.S. and Canada. The network’s objective is to conduct novel phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in individuals, from infancy to 21 years old, with primary central nervous system tumors.

The PTCB recently told its members to stop enrollment of its six active trials because of a federal funding cut. Five trials are evaluating novel therapies for pediatric brain cancers — including a CAR T-cell therapy for ependymoma, which has no effective treatments for children — according to the Times. 

The National Cancer Institute said it is increasing support for the Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network, and as part of this effort, “the PBTC will not be able to apply for another 5-year funding award to continue its funding beyond March 2026,” according to an NCI webpage updated Aug. 21. 

The Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network is composed of 42 children’s hospitals and cancer centers in the U.S., Canada and Australia, and its mission is to support early phase trials of pediatric anti-cancer agents. 

The NCI said it “is committed to ensuring that ongoing PBTC trials are completed wherever feasible and appropriate, either through direct close-out support to the PBTC after its current funding ends or by transferring studies to the PEP-CTN for completion,” the webpage says. 

Ira Dunkel, MD, a pediatric oncologist who chairs the consortium, told the Times that the NCI provides most of the funding, about $4 million annually. 

Dr. Dunkel said he is exploring whether to transfer PBTC trials to the Pediatric Early Phase Clinical Trials Network, but said some patients would likely lose access to the trials and the process would not “be a seamless transition.”

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