Readout of White House Cancer Moonshot Brain Cancers Forum
Yesterday, in recognition of Brain Cancer Awareness Month, the White House Cancer Moonshot convened leaders from the brain cancer community, including patients, caregivers, oncologists, researchers, advocacy organizations, philanthropy, and industry for a Brain Cancers Forum.
The forum focused on driving progress against Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), some of the most aggressive and deadly brain cancers. Brain cancers, like GBM, the most common brain tumor in adults, and DIPG, which affects children, are particularly difficult to treat.
Yesterday’s forum brought together all parts of the brain cancer community to develop plans for bold new efforts to take on these devastating diagnoses as part of the Cancer Moonshot goal to end cancer as we know it.
The forum opened with a public session, where patient advocates and survivors shared their perspectives to establish priorities. It also featured remarks from Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Arati Prabhakar, Deputy Assistant to the President for the Cancer Moonshot and OSTP Deputy Director for Health Outcomes Dr. Danielle Carnival, other Biden-Harris Administration officials, and leaders in the brain cancer community. Speakers highlighted their work on innovative care and treatment methods, explained the challenges ahead, and discussed opportunities for collaborative efforts to address these challenges.
The public session was followed by working sessions on GBM and DIPG that brought together different parts of the brain cancer community to spur new ideas, collaborations, and commitments—with a focus on actions that will improve innovative treatments and care, increase equitable access to clinical trials, and develop solutions around data sharing and measurable outcomes.
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