Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2) and Exosome Diagnostics are collaborating with leading academic medical centers to accelerate clinical validation of Exosome’s blood and cerebrospinal fluid-based molecular diagnostics technology in brain cancer.

The collaboration will explore the capabilities of Exosome RNA biofluid-based diagnostic technology for early identification, progression monitoring and disease risk stratification in glioma, the most common form of brain cancer.

Brain cancer is the leading cause of death among children and young adults under age 20. This year, more than 200,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with either a primary or metastatic brain tumor.  There are more than 120 different types of brain tumors, making specific diagnosis and effective treatment extremely complicated.

In many cases, accessing brain tissue via biopsy carries significant risk or is not surgically feasible.  The ability to sample a brain cancer’s genetic characteristics through a blood or cerebrospinal fluid sample could contribute greatly to driving advances in clinical treatment and drug development.

This collaboration will bring together world-leading clinicians, researchers and industry participants to develop the potential of stable, high-quality disease-specific RNA harvested from exosomes found in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The joint effort will support near-term, in-vitro diagnostic validation of known tumor and immune-derived clinical biomarkers for brain cancer.

“We are impressed with the catalytic approach of Exosome Diagnostics and our academic partners,” said Max Wallace, chief executive officer of Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure.  “The ability to identify and track specific pathway mutations over time could significantly improve brain cancer patient care.” As early as 2007, Exosome Diagnostics’ researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital reported detecting key gene mutations in the blood of brain cancer patients.

Subsequent studies involving a multi-center investigative effort led by Dr. Bob S. Carter, professor and chief of neurosurgery at University of California, San Diego, and Drs. Fred Hochberg and Xandra Breakefield of Massachusetts General Hospital, have shown blood and cerebrospinal fluid exosome populations containing virtually the entire disease-specific population of the transcriptome can be accessed safely multiple times, from diagnosis through tumor progression, without the need for a surgical procedure.

These studies were conducted as part of Exosome Diagnostics’ neuro-degenerative disease program examining biofluid-based exosomes for tumor and immune response genetic abnormalities in brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury patients.

“Accessing the stable RNA contained in blood and CSF exosomes gives us a significant advantage when it comes to detecting and understanding genetic changes inside the brain compartment caused by a tumor or immune response without the need for surgical biopsy,” added James McCullough, chief executive officer of Exosome Diagnostics.

“Collaborating with ABC2 helps ensure we are asking the right questions and structuring our clinical studies properly from the beginning for this first critical disease target in our neuro-degenerative disease program.”

Dr. Bob Carter noted, “We are excited about the prospects of this model for collaboration involving a leading foundation, academic partners, and Exosome Diagnostics.  By leveraging the strengths of each arm of this triad, we will be able to more quickly bring tumor specific genetic information into the hands of practicing clinicians.”

In January, ABC2 and Exosome Diagnostics hosted the first in a series of meetings with leading investigators to discuss the state of the brain cancer field, the prospective near and long-term clinical applications of exosome technology, performance requirements and barriers to clinical validation.

Participating in the New York City meeting were senior principal investigators from leading academic institutions including the University of California, San Diego, Harvard Medical School and MassachusettsGeneral Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins, Yale University, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital, University of Miami, University of Florida and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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Hospice of the Western Reserve is kicking off a program to recognize “Hospice Heroes,” a community of individuals, families, and school, church or service groups across Northern Ohio who host fundraising activities that help the non-profit agency provide care to all who need it, regardless of their ability to pay.

Last year, the hospice covered unreimbursed expenses and charity care valued at nearly $5 million in the Northern Ohio region. According to Bill Sluzewski, development officer, fundraising events range from simple activities like selling candy bars, to larger events, like craft shows, benefit concerts and golf outings. “The organizers are often family members or friends of a patient who had been in our care,” he explained.

“Whether it’s a one-time activity or an annual event, it’s a legacy of love that honors their loved one and keeps their memory alive by giving back to other patients and families.” Such is the case for “Misty’s Wish,” created in 2010 by Sherri Viccarone, a resident of Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood, in loving memory of Misty, her teenaged daughter.

Misty, who was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor, was cared for by Hospice of the Western Reserve during the final stage of her life.  The non-profit agency serving Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Summit Counties, offers one of the few pediatric hospice and palliative programs in the country.

Hospice helped with Misty’s medical supplies, medicine, physical and psychological therapies, and also supported Sherri and the extended family by guiding them the complex healthcare maze and providing emotional and spiritual support throughout the illness.  They also gave Misty an unexpected gift.

One day, a hospice team member asked Misty if there was one wish she would like to have granted before she died. Her response was a surprise to everyone: “I want my Dad to adopt me.” (Her stepfather was the only father she had known as she was growing up.) Within just ten days, Hospice of the Western Reserve’s legal team worked with a Cleveland judge to grant Misty’s wish to be legally adopted.

When Misty died, her mother, Sherri, was determined to tell her story to help other families coping with their children’s terminal illnesses, and to keep her daughter’s memory alive.  She started out by organizing an event called the “Misty Viccarone Christmas Memorium,” which involved collecting teddy bears and donating them to the Cleveland Clinic’s Oncology Department for children undergoing cancer treatment.

In 2010, Mrs. Viccarone and a dedicated group of volunteers expanded upon initial efforts by hosting a commemorative fundraiser with bowling, raffles and prizes. They called the event “Misty’s Wish,” a reference to the final wish Hospice of the Western Reserve helped to fulfill.

The event raised more than$5,000 for the non-profit agency’s pediatric palliative care patients. It was so successful that the group decided to make it an annual event.  Last year’s event, held at Yorktown Lanes in Parma Hts., generated an incredible $8,600. Mrs. Viccarone acknowledges that having a child diagnosed with a terminal illness is something no parent can ever anticipate or be equipped to deal with emotionally or psychologically.

However, she is determined to create something positive from the tragic circumstances.  An important part of her mission is helping other parents and caregivers by expanding awareness of pediatric palliative care.

“When I first tell people about the mission of Misty’s Wish, they’re sometimes shocked and surprised,” she said. “There’s a misconception that hospice care is only for the elderly.  In fact, a co-worker who even knew Misty had died of a brain tumor asked me why there was a need for a pediatric hospice team.

My answer was simple: `Because children die.’” Misty died on July 27, 1996, but thanks to the love and dedication of her family and friends, her memory lives on to help others through Misty’s Wish.

The article ‘Hospice Heroes’ Raise Funds for Western Reserve’s Pediatric Patients appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.