Four Diamonds Researchers Leading New Clinical Trial

In a significant advancement in the fight against childhood cancer, Four Diamonds, Penn State College of Medicine and the Beat Childhood Cancer Research Consortium, along with Kura Oncology, Inc., are opening a clinical trial to treat relapsed and refractory neuroblastoma.

Four Diamonds researchers Dr. H.G. Wang and Dr. Valerie Brown are the national chairs for this study, which is testing a new drug combination. They hope to gain new insights into the molecular mechanisms of neuroblastoma.

“This drug combination helps the immune system fight neuroblastoma in children, particularly in addressing tumor cells that can evade standard treatments,” Dr. H.G. Wang said. “Early studies show that tipifarnib can reduce the tumor’s ability to weaken the immune system and make anti-GD2 immunotherapy work more effectively.”