Peer-reviewed article
BIOL-22. CHILDREN’S BRAIN TUMOR NETWORK PRECLINICAL TUMOR MODELS DEVELOPMENT AND SHARING PLATFORM: COLLABORATIVE MODEL EMPOWERING PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR DISCOVERY AND GLOBAL RESEARCH
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Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This document describes a research infrastructure project for developing preclinical tumor models to support pediatric brain cancer research. It outlines the Children's Brain Tumor Network's platform for creating and sharing cell lines, organoids, and animal models derived from patient tumors. The project aims to enable global research collaboration on pediatric brain tumor treatments. However, this is a research methods and infrastructure paper, not an evaluation of child well-being outcomes or interventions affecting children directly.
Key points
- Over 150 preclinical models (cell lines, organoids, patient-derived xenografts) have been developed and distributed to 50+ research projects
- Models include molecular data from whole genome sequencing and RNA sequencing for over 80 models
- Patient molecular and clinical longitudinal data are accessible through open-source research portals
- The platform supports basic biology and translational studies on cancer treatments including immunotherapies
- This is a collaborative research infrastructure initiative rather than a clinical intervention study
Limitations
This document describes research infrastructure and model development for scientific discovery, not an evaluation of interventions or outcomes affecting children's actual health or well-being. It cannot provide evidence about the effectiveness of treatments or improvements in patient outcomes.
Abstract
Abstract Pediatric brain tumor preclinical development has suffered from the lack of robust in vitro and in vivo models that span the large number of brain tumor histologies. Opportunities for precision medicine approaches for solid and brain tumors are expanding, including immunotherapies, so it is essential to maximize access to preclinical models for studies of specificity, efficacy, and safety of treatments in ways that align patient models to patient samples and their clinical course. The Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) seeks to accelerate pediatric brain tumor research and discovery through support of the tumor model development program paired with molecularly characterized patient samples and longitudinal clinical data. This program focuses on the generation, characterization, and distribution of diverse models to investigators worldwide. Here we present currently available preclinical model resources comprising over 150 cell lines, organoids, and patient derived xenografts (PDX) developed and/or propagated at D3b at CHOP on behalf of CBTN. This platform maximizes the use of tumor tissue to generate a combination of cell lines, organoids and/or xenograft models grown in animals. To date, consortium-supported lines have been provided internationally to over 50 projects, encompassing basic biology and translational studies. Molecular data (whole genome sequencing and RNAseq) is currently available for over 80 models and a substantial portion of that cohort undergoes additional large-scale data generation and drug testing through collaborative work with Childhood Cancer Model Atlas, ProCan, and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. All models’ data are accompanied with patient molecular and clinical longitudinal information accessible through Kids First Data Resource, CAVATICA and PedcBio portals. This open-source repository model is an example of a unique research partnership supported by patients and their families and built with one mission – to accelerate therapeutic discovery for children suffering from brain tumors.