IronMatt Acknowledged for Funding Groundbreaking Research

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J.--()--The Board of Directors of IronMatt, The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors, is pleased to be acknowledged in a recent issue of Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics for their support of important research into the evaluation of a patient-specific algorithm that predicts distribution for convection-enhanced delivery (CED) of drugs into the brainstems of patients diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). The mission of IronMatt is to help children and families affected by pediatric brain tumors through awareness, research and financial support.

IronMatt was a key supporter of this research project led by nationally recognized pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Mark Souweidane, and his team of five colleagues. This project was conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and ten pediatric patients were treated at the same dose level. The ten pediatric patients included six females and four males, with an age range of 3 to 11 years old.

One major obstacle in the treatment of brain tumors is efficient drug delivery to the intended target tissue. With increasing use of CED, the need for software that can predict infusion distribution has grown. In this study, the authors retrospectively evaluated a software algorithm (iPlan Flow) for the estimation of infusate distribution based on planned catheter trajectory, infusion parameters, and patient-specific MRIs. The actual infusate distribution was determined on MRI and PET imaging and was compared to the distribution estimated by the software algorithm. As stated in the forthcoming Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics article, “iPlan Flow software can be useful to support planning of trajectories that produce intraparenchymal convection.” The simulation algorithm can model the likely infusate distribution for CED treatment in patients with DIPG. The software’s combination of trajectory planning guidelines and infusion simulation can be used prospectively to optimize personalized CED treatment.

“I pride myself on my technical ability to safely remove the most complex brain tumors. Of course, there are times I’m faced with limits on what can be done surgically. Those limitations led us to explore alternative therapeutic options leveraging technology that falls into the surgical domain. In particular, the interface of surgical drug delivery alternatives that can be game-changing for these children,” stated Mark M. Souweidane, MD.

“We are thrilled to be able to support this important research initiative. With the guidance of our Board of Directors, Medical Advisory Committee and the support of our generous donors, we will continue to provide significant grants to fund breakthrough research and financially support children and families undergoing treatment,” stated Kelly Larson, President of The Matthew Larson Foundation.

ABOUT IRONMATT, THE MATTHEW LARSON FOUNDATION FOR PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMORS:

Since 2007, The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors has financially supported families living with pediatric brain tumors and funded research in the hopes of finding a cure. For more information, please visit our website at ironmatt.org.

Contacts

Kelly Larson, President
IronMatt, The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors
Kelly@ironmatt.org
(201) 410-2751

Contacts

Kelly Larson, President
IronMatt, The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors
Kelly@ironmatt.org
(201) 410-2751