Dr. Chan Chung Receives Two Grants to Study Brain Cancers
By Lidija Fremeau | January 9 2020
Congratulations to Chan Chung, PhD, who was recently awarded two grants. He received a $150,000 grant co-funded by the ChadTough Foundation and the Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG foundation for his research into Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPG). The Robert Connor Dawes CERN Pediatric Fellowship awarded Dr. Chung $100,000.
DIPG is a brain tumor affecting 200-400 children, almost exclusively ages 4-11, in the United States annually. This particular tumor is found in a part of the brain stem called the pons, which controls essential bodily functions such as heartbeat, breathing, swallowing, eye movement, eyesight, and balance.
DIPG is an aggressive tumor that interferes with all bodily functions, depriving a child of the ability to move, to communicate, and even to eat and drink. As the tumor progresses, it also interferes with breathing and heartbeat, which ultimately results in the child’s death.
The ChadTough Foundation was founded by Jason and Tammi Carr as a lasting legacy to their beloved son, Chad, who lost his battle with DIPG just two months after his fifth birthday. The foundation is committed to inspire and fund game-changing research to discover effective treatments for pediatric brain cancer, with an emphasis on DIPG.
Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation is committed to finding a cure for DIPG. Mark and Jenny Mosier created the Foundation in honor of their 6-year-old son, Michael William Mosier who bravely battled against DIPG for 8.5 months before passing away on May 17, 2015.
The Robert Connor Dawes CERN Pediatric Fellowship will provide “two years of funding for a promising postdoctoral researcher who has the potential to become a productive, independent investigator with the broad scope of biomedical research focused in ependymoma.” The Robert Dawes Foundation is battling pediatric brain tumors by supporting brain-related work in the areas of research, care, and development- through funding research aimed at ending brain cancer and supporting patients until cures are found.
Dr. Chung will study the intersection of cancer metabolism and epigenetics in lethal childhood brain tumors: DIPG and Posterior Fossa Ependymomas. Dr. Chung received his PhD in Dr. Andrew Lieberman’s laboratory and is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Sriram Venneti’s laboratory.
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