Over $500,000 Donated
Research We Support
Dr. Matt Dun
Hunter Research Medical Institute
Originally a blood cancer researcher, Dr. Dun switched his area of research after his then 2 year old daughter Josie was diagnosed with Grade IV diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) in 2018. Personally, Dr. Dun became a touch point for our family while both of our little girls were fighting the same losing battle, both passing away about a month apart. As for our family, this fight for Dr. Dun is personal. We are thrilled to be able to grant Dr. Dun $40,000 for his continued research efforts. The project funded by this grant will determine the surface expression of proteins that can be used as targets for future immune therapies for DMG tumors.
Dr. Nicholas Vitanza
Seattle Children's Hospital
Dr. Vitanza’s is a Pediatric Hematology-Oncologist out of Seattle Children’s hospital, as well as a researcher who is focused on DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma). His goal is to better understand vulnerabilities in DIPG/DMG, to develop combinatorial CAR T-cell treatment and ultimately translate scientific discovery to improved outcomes for affected children.
Dr. Vitanza is currently running a CAR T trial which is aimed towards DIPG patients. In the trial patients own T-cells are programmed to target a specific mutation, they are then given back to the patient via a catheter which is placed in the location of the tumor.
To date we have given $160,000 to Dr. Vitanza and will continue to support additional research.
Dr. Katherine Warren
Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Hospital
We are pleased to partner with Dr. Katherine Warren of Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center who is the Clinical Director for Pediatric Neuro-Oncology. Dr. Warren strives to improve both survival and quality of life for children with tumors of the central nervous system. Her goal is to determine active drug concentrations, dosage and concentration during pre-clinical work. This will reduce the number of patients receiving ineffective therapies or inadequate dosing while preventing excessive dosing and accompanying toxicities that are typically observed in clinical trials. In turn resulting in more efficient clinical trials while improving the outcome for each patient.
Liv like a Unicorn is proud to support Dr. Warren’s work, as we continue to move the needle together to find viable treatment options for CNS tumors. To date we have given $100,000 to enable her to complete this vital research.