The Glioblastoma Research Organization Launches Project Liam in Support of Pediatric Brain Cancer Research at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Pictured left: Liam Singh Gill
Project Liam is named after Liam Singh Gill, a 2-year-old who passed away from Glioblastoma, and honors his fight and his family’s commitment to raising awareness for pediatric brain cancer.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — February 28, 2023 — The Glioblastoma Research Organization (GBMRO) launches its first pediatric brain cancer research funding initiative, Project Liam. This is the nonprofit's fifth fully funded Glioblastoma research project and its first in collaboration with Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Brain tumors are a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. Of all the pediatric brain tumors, high-grade gliomas (HGG), like Glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, are the toughest to treat with limited options and a five-year survival rate of only 10-30 percent. Project Liam will investigate using a patient's own immune system to fight the tumor cells, called immunotherapy, as an alternative to conventional treatments.
The project is named after Liam Singh Gill, a 2-year-old who passed away from Glioblastoma, and honors his fight and his family’s commitment to raising awareness for pediatric brain cancer. Project Liam will include novel research investigating if giving checkpoint inhibition to pediatric patients prior to surgery will improve survival and how it will biologically change both tumor cells and adjacent cells.
"Underfunding remains a challenge for childhood cancers including brain cancer,” says Amber Barbach, founder, and director of the GBMRO. “We're excited to work with Children's Hospital Los Angeles, known for their research commitment, to bring hope to affected families."
Dr. Tom Davidson, pediatric neuro-oncologist in the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, specializes in diagnosing and caring for children and young adults with central nervous system tumors. She and a team of researchers are focused on developing clinical trials to treat children and young adults diagnosed with high-grade glioma and other malignant tumors. She is exploring novel immunotherapeutic strategies to treat this young population.
Jazwares, the renowned toy company, and its beloved plush toy brand, Squishmallows, have partnered with Project Liam to bring toys to patients at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In a show of support, Jazwares and Squishmallows will donate gifts to outpatients in March with the goal of spreading smiles and bringing a brighter moment to the lives of the children and their families.
About The Glioblastoma Research Organization
The Glioblastoma Research Organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization raising awareness and funds for cutting-edge research to find a cure for Glioblastoma, a rare malignant, fast-growing tumor affecting the brain or spine. The organization was established in 2018 and, to date, has provided support to doctors and researchers through four fully funded projects, donating over $200,000 in the last two years. For additional information about the organization, funding and partners, please visit www.gbmresearch.org/.
