The children's brain tumor network (CBTN) - Accelerating research in pediatric central nervous system tumors through collaboration and open science.

in Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) by Jena V Lilly, Jo Lynne Rokita, Jennifer L Mason, Tatiana Patton, Stephanie Stefankiewiz, David Higgins, Gerri Trooskin, Carina A Larouci, Kamnaa Arya, Elizabeth Appert, Allison P Heath, Yuankun Zhu, Miguel A Brown, Bo Zhang, Bailey K Farrow, Shannon Robins, Allison M Morgan, Thinh Q Nguyen, Elizabeth Frenkel, Kaitlin Lehmann, Emily Drake, Catherine Sullivan, Alexa Plisiewicz, Noel Coleman, Luke Patterson, Mateusz Koptyra, Zeinab Helili, Nicholas Van Kuren, Nathan Young, Meen Chul Kim, Christopher Friedman, Alex Lubneuski, Christopher Blackden, Marti Williams, Valerie Baubet, Lamiya Tauhid, Jamie Galanaugh, Katie Boucher, Heba Ijaz, Kristina A Cole, Namrata Choudhari, Mariarita Santi, Robert W Moulder, Jonathan Waller, Whitney Rife, Sharon J Diskin, Marion Mateos, Donald W Parsons, Ian F Pollack, Stewart Goldman, Sarah Leary, Chiara Caporalini, Anna Maria Buccoliero, Mirko Scagnet, David Haussler, Derek Hanson, Ron Firestein, Jason Cain, Joanna J Phillips, Nalin Gupta, Sabine Mueller, Gerald Grant, Michelle Monje-Deisseroth, Sonia Partap, Jeffrey P Greenfield, Rintaro Hashizume, Amy Smith, Shida Zhu, James M Johnston, Jason R Fangusaro, Matthew Miller, Matthew D Wood, Sharon Gardner, Claire L Carter, Laura M Prolo, Jared Pisapia, Katherine Pehlivan, Andrea Franson, Toba Niazi, Josh Rubin, Mohamed Abdelbaki, David S Ziegler, Holly B Lindsay, Ana Guerreiro Stucklin, Nicolas Gerber, Olena M Vaske, Carolyn Quinsey, Brian R Rood, Javad Nazarian, Eric Raabe, Eric M Jackson, Stacie Stapleton, Robert M Lober, David E Kram, Carl Koschmann, Phillip B Storm, Rishi R Lulla, Michael Prados, Adam C Resnick, Angela J Waanders

TLDR

  • The Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) is a group of doctors and researchers who are trying to find better ways to treat children with brain tumors. They collect samples from patients and use them to study the tumors. They also use the samples to create models that can help doctors understand how the tumors work. The CBTN has collected a lot of samples and created a lot of models, and they have made all of their data available to other researchers. The study highlights the key findings of the CBTN's research and suggests ways that other researchers could use the data to improve treatments for children with brain tumors.

Abstract

Pediatric brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children in the United States and contribute a disproportionate number of potential years of life lost compared to adult cancers. Moreover, survivors frequently suffer long-term side effects, including secondary cancers. The Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) is a multi-institutional international clinical research consortium created to advance therapeutic development through the collection and rapid distribution of biospecimens and data via open-science research platforms for real-time access and use by the global research community. The CBTN's 32 member institutions utilize a shared regulatory governance architecture at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to accelerate and maximize the use of biospecimens and data. As of August 2022, CBTN has enrolled over 4700 subjects, over 1500 parents, and collected over 65,000 biospecimen aliquots for research. Additionally, over 80 preclinical models have been developed from collected tumors. Multi-omic data for over 1000 tumors and germline material are currently available with data generation for > 5000 samples underway. To our knowledge, CBTN provides the largest open-access pediatric brain tumor multi-omic dataset annotated with longitudinal clinical and outcome data, imaging, associated biospecimens, child-parent genomic pedigrees, and in vivo and in vitro preclinical models. Empowered by NIH-supported platforms such as the Kids First Data Resource and the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, the CBTN continues to expand the resources needed for scientists to accelerate translational impact for improved outcomes and quality of life for children with brain and spinal cord tumors.

Overview

  • The study focuses on the Children's Brain Tumor Network (CBTN), a multi-institutional international clinical research consortium that aims to advance therapeutic development for pediatric brain tumors through the collection and rapid distribution of biospecimens and data via open-science research platforms. The CBTN has enrolled over 4700 subjects, over 1500 parents, and collected over 65,000 biospecimen aliquots for research. The primary objective of the study is to provide the largest open-access pediatric brain tumor multi-omic dataset annotated with longitudinal clinical and outcome data, imaging, associated biospecimens, child-parent genomic pedigrees, and in vivo and in vitro preclinical models.

Comparative Analysis & Findings

  • The study compares the outcomes observed under different experimental conditions or interventions detailed in the CBTN's research. The results show that the CBTN provides the largest open-access pediatric brain tumor multi-omic dataset annotated with longitudinal clinical and outcome data, imaging, associated biospecimens, child-parent genomic pedigrees, and in vivo and in vitro preclinical models. The study highlights the key findings of the CBTN's research, including the development of over 80 preclinical models from collected tumors and the generation of multi-omic data for over 1000 tumors and germline material. The study also discusses the significance of the CBTN's research in advancing therapeutic development for pediatric brain tumors and improving outcomes and quality of life for children with brain and spinal cord tumors.

Implications and Future Directions

  • The study's findings have significant implications for the field of research and clinical practice. The CBTN's open-access pediatric brain tumor multi-omic dataset provides a valuable resource for scientists to accelerate translational impact for improved outcomes and quality of life for children with brain and spinal cord tumors. The study identifies limitations of the CBTN's research, such as the need for more diverse patient populations and the need for more advanced preclinical models. The study suggests possible future research directions, such as the development of personalized treatment plans based on multi-omic data and the exploration of the role of environmental factors in pediatric brain tumors.
Read Full Article