Nick Gottardo NG MBChB FRACP PhD Co-Head, Brain Tumour Research nicholas.gottardo@telethonkids.org.au Co-Head, Brain Tumour Research Professor Nick Gottardo co-leads the Brain Tumour Research Programme at the Telethon Kids Institute. He is also Head ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2024
• January 2024

Diffuse midline glioma (DMG), including tumors diagnosed in the brainstem (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma; DIPG), are uniformly fatal brain tumors that lack effective treatment. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2024
• February 2024

The main mission of the Australian and New Zealand Children's Haematology and Oncology Group is to develop and facilitate local access to the world's leading evidence-based clinical trials for all paediatric cancers, including brain tumours, as soon as practically possible.  ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2024
• May 2024

While chemotherapy remains the first-line treatment for many cancers, it is still unclear what distinguishes responders from non-responders. Here, we characterize the chemotherapy-responsive tumor microenvironment in mice, using RNA sequencing on tumors before and after cyclophosphamide, and compare the gene expression profiles of responders with progressors. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• December 2022

Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas generally occur in young school-age children, although can occur in adolescents and young adults. The purpose of this study was to describe clinical, radiological, pathologic, and molecular characteristics in patients ≥10 years of age with DIPG enrolled in the International DIPG Registry. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• January 2022

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in infants younger than 1 year of age is an aggressive, high-risk subtype of childhood ALL. Infant ALL with KMT2A-r is characteristically poorly responsive to chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. New strategies, such as molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies, are in development and show promise in preclinical models and early phase studies. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• January 2022

Cross-presenting dendritic cells (DC) offer an attractive target for vaccination due to their unique ability to process exogenous antigens for presentation on MHC class I molecules. Recent reports have established that these DC express unique surface receptors and play a critical role in the initiation of anti-tumor immunity, opening the way for the development of vaccination strategies specifically targeting these cells. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• December 2021

Medulloblastoma is the most common childhood brain cancer. Mainstay treatments of radiation and chemotherapy have not changed in decades and new treatment approaches are crucial for the improvement of clinical outcomes. To date, immunotherapies for medulloblastoma have been unsuccessful, and studies investigating the immune microenvironment of the disease and the impact of current therapies are limited. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• March 2022

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) remains a clinico-radiologic diagnosis without routine tissue acquisition. Reliable imaging distinction between DIPG and other pontine tumors with potentially more favorable prognoses and treatment considerations is essential. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• October 2021

Pineoblastoma is a rare brain tumor usually diagnosed in children. Given its rarity, no pineoblastoma-specific trials have been conducted. Studies have included pineoblastoma accruing for other embryonal tumors over the past 30 years. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2022
• April 2022

The biological determinants of the response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in cancer remain incompletely understood. Little is known about dynamic biological events that underpin therapeutic efficacy due to the inability to frequently sample tumours in patients. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• September 2021

Children with medulloblastoma and ependymoma are treated with a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy; however, overall survival rates for patients with high-risk disease remain unsatisfactory. Data indicate that plant-derived cannabinoids are effective against adult glioblastoma; however, preclinical evidence supporting their use in pediatric brain cancers is lacking. Here we investigated the potential role for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in medulloblastoma and ependymoma. Dose-dependent cytotoxicity of medulloblastoma and ependymoma cells was induced by THC and CBD in vitro, and a synergistic reduction in viability was observed when both drugs were combined. ...

• 1. Telethon Kids Institute
• Our research
• Reports and Findings
• 2021
• January 2021