NEWS ABOUT THE CURE

Friends and family remember Morgan Kottman

By the age of 15 years old Morgan Kottman touched the lives of many. That was evident by those who showed up to celebrate her birthday Sunday afternoon. "Today is ... would have been Morgan's 19th birthday so we thought it was a good day to have a party for her,” Morgan’s mother, Christine Kottman, said. Morgan passed away in 2014 from a DIPG brain tour. Family, friends, and Morgan’s classmates remembered her during the third annual Morgan Kottman Birthday Walk.

After 8-year-old dies of rare tumor, parents help raise $70,000 for brain cancer research

It was crushing when Jesse and Corrie Shumaker learned that their daughter had a rare brain tumor. And it was even more devastating when the Omaha couple’s 8-year-old daughter, Maddie, died 11 months after being diagnosed. Now the Shumakers honor Maddie and other children impacted by pediatric brain cancer through the Race Against the Odds 5K.

ALTERED IMMUNE CELLS CLEAR CHILDHOOD BRAIN TUMOR IN MICE

In mice, a fatal brainstem tumor was cleared by injecting it with engineered T cells that recognized the cancer and targeted it for destruction. The Stanford discovery is moving to human trials.

Piper: Princess Warrior

A princess with the heart of a warrior faces her battle with an awesome bravery that wins over hearts everywhere she goes. A Glitter Explosion That’s how Piper’s dad, Nelson, describes her: “Too much of a good thing… like a glitter explosion.” And it shows. Just looking at pictures of Piper you can see bucketfuls of personality wrapped up in the body of a spunky three-year-old. Whether telling an imaginative story, or explaining to you why everything looks better in pink, Piper is sure to leave

The Cure Starts Now Has Record-Breaking Gala, Raises Over $587,000

The Cure Starts Now held its 11th annual Once in a Lifetime Gala, presented by Graeter’s, at the Duke Energy Convention Center on April 7, 2018. The event generated a record-breaking $587,000 worth of new funds for pediatric brain cancer research. Nearly 900 guests were in attendance at the Alice in Wonderland inspired event which celebrated the children who have been affected by brain cancer and the people fighting to find a cure. The Once in a Lifetime Gala featured over 500 packages in the si

The Cure Starts Now Announces 4 New Chapter Locations

Cincinnati based pediatric brain cancer research foundation, The Cure Starts Now, has experienced record growth, adding four new chapter locations in the last two months. New locations include, Connecticut (New Haven), Georgia (Atlanta), Indiana (Frankfort) and Massachusetts (Worcester). This brings the total chapter count to 36 locations worldwide making The Cure Starts Now one of the fastest growing cancer charities in the nation. Operating with a 3% overhead cost, The Cure Starts Now is chang

Collaborating for the Cure

Founded by The Cure Starts Now in 2011 in an effort to unify the DIPG cancer community, the DIPG Collaborative today is a unique initiative where independent foundations work together to fund the best cancer research available with the advice of The Cure Starts Now Foundation’s Medical Advisory Council. The following is an article by one of the Foundational Partners of the DIPG Collaborative in support of the cause. Julian was not the first 4-year-old who imagined himself a brave knight or a sup

Researcher Spotlight: Dr. Bakhos Tannous of Massachusetts General Hospital

WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN DIPG? My research background is to study adult gliomas. I became interested in DIPG after witnessing the son of a dear friend of mine diagnosed with DIPG with no cure and very low survival rate. YOU ARE STUDYING AN ANTI-MALARIA DRUG TO TREAT DIPG.  WHY? We tested many existing drugs on DIPG cells and discovered that Mefloquine is effective and potent in killing DIPG cells in all cultures tested.  Mefloquine is the anti-malaria drug of choice for US Military deployed ove

Meet Our Friend And Hero, Carson

Carson Hall was born in January 2012 and is the first born son to his parents. Carson loves to be active! He loves swimming in the summer, playing water balloons, playing on his swing set and most of all playing with his brother, Colton. He enjoys going to school and visiting the zoo – what little boy wouldn’t! Around the age of one, he began having respiratory issues, which were diagnosed as Viral Induced Asthma. However, he was otherwise healthy. He was meeting every milestone and was an extre

Researcher Spotlight: Dr. Maria Tsoli from Lowy Cancer Research Centre

A senior scientist at Lowy Cancer Research Centre, Dr. Maria Tsoli is helping to lead the charge to focus on the deadly disease of DIPG in Australia. Dr. Tsoli is the recipient of over $225,000 in research grants from The Cure Starts Now and our DIPG Collaborative partners. “The CSN funding has been pivotal in establishing our DIPG Research Program at the Children’s Cancer Institute. This is the first established laboratory in Australia with a program specifically focused on developing novel tre