A transformative investment is poised to provide new hope in the fight against childhood brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Brain and CNS tumors are among the leading childhood cancers and remain difficult to treat. Now, the Kimmel Cancer Center atSibley Memorial Hospitalis set to expand its research and clinical programs, establishing the new and highly collaborative Johns Hopkins Pediatric Radiation Oncology Research Center.
Focused on proton radiation therapy — the most advanced type of radiation — the philanthropic strategic funding will leverage Johns Hopkins' expertise in neurobiology, imaging, artificial intelligence (AI) and drug development, working closely with institutions including Mass General Brigham for Children,Kennedy Krieger Institute,Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaandChildren's National Hospital.
"The vision behind this novel center exemplifies that which we embrace across all of Johns Hopkins Medicine — a future in which effective utilization of data, harnessed through the power of AI, drives truly precision care that allows our clinicians to best tailor treatment to even the most complex disease types," says Theodore DeWeese, M.D., The Frances Watt Baker, M.D., and Lenox D. Baker Jr., M.D., Dean of the Medical Faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.
"We are honored to lead this initiative and bring together the world's leading experts in pediatric cancers. The resources this innovative gift provides allow us to harness intellectual and technological power in ways previously unheard of. Importantly, this gift allows in-depth research on the effects of treatment that survivors must face — research we believe can lead to significant, positive changes in these lifelong effects," saysAkila Viswanathan, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Johns Hopkins Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences.
The gift supports four areas of focus:
- Neurocognitive Rehabilitation:Developing a comprehensive program to address cognitive deficits caused by cancer treatments throughout the patient journey, including prehabilitation and rehabilitation strategies in close collaboration with Children's National and Kennedy Krieger Institute.
- Expansion and Integration of the Pediatric Proton/Photon Consortium Registry (PPCR) and Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN):Enhancing the largest pediatric radiation database, merging it with the data and infrastructure of CBTN, and leveraging Johns Hopkins' expertise in AI to improve data collection and research on brain tumors and neurocognitive outcomes.
- Targeted Drug Development:Discovering treatments to prevent radiation-induced brain injuries by using advanced techniques established within the Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery Group, a fully integrated drug discovery unit established to translate today's world-class biomedical research into tomorrow's therapeutics.
- Technological Advancements in Proton Therapy:Improving proton therapy for pediatric brain tumors through biological modeling, automated treatment planning and patient-centered innovations within the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Radiation Oncology Research Center.
Leading proton expert Anita Mahajan, M.D., has been recruited to direct the new center as part of the programmatic investment. Mahajan is currently a professor of radiation oncology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.
"I am thrilled to be joining this powerful new center — the establishment of which represents a massive step toward longitudinal impact in how we care for children diagnosed with brain and CNS tumors. For our patients and their parents, it is not a moment too soon," Mahajan says.
Located on Sibley's campus in Washington, D.C., the Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center is an 80,000 square foot facility that provides adult and pediatric patients with access to highly targeted cancer treatment that spares nearby healthy tissues and organs, potentially reducing side effects and the risk of recurrence. This is particularly important for children, who may have lasting side effects from traditional cancer treatments.
The Proton Therapy Center is one of the few in the world — and the only one in the Washington, D.C., region — with a dedicated pediatric team that specializes in the care of young oncology patients. The team delivers compassionate, patient- and family-centered care in collaboration with its partners at Children's National and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center's Division of Pediatric Oncology.
