Second International Chordoma Research Workshop - 2008

In April 2008, just eleven months after the first International Chordoma Research Workshop (ICRW) the Chordoma Foundation co-hosted a longer, larger, and more in-depth second ICRW in partnership with the National Cancer Institute and the NIH Office of Rare Diseases. The number of physicians and scientists who attended the second ICRW increased by 50%, further expanding the emerging field of chordoma research, and sparking new collaborations between researchers across disciplines and institutions. As a result of the partnerships formed between researchers at the first ICRW, in the short time between the two workshops a staggering amount of progress was made towards identifying the molecular and genetic basis of chordoma. Many of the questions raised by participants at the first ICRW were answered, and many new questions, ideas, and theories emerged. Importantly, several research groups from three countries independently validated that a particular cellular pathway known as mTOR is activated in most chordomas. This finding opens many new doors for research and potential treatment options. In addition the Research Roadmap developed at the first ICRW was re-evaluated and updated to reflect the latest scientific developments, such as the discovery of chordoma-precursor cells in mice, which unlocks the possibility of creating a genetic mouse model of chordoma. Finally, the Chordoma Foundation made several important announcements including the initiation of the Chordoma Foundation Cell Line Panel, and new research grants for the creation and characterization of chordoma model systems.

First International Chordoma Research Workshop - 2007 

In May 2007, the Chordoma Foundation co-hosted the First International Chordoma Research Workshop along with the NIH Office of Rare Diseases, the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, and the National Cancer Institute. The workshop brought together a diverse group of 53 physicians and scientists from around the world, including some of the brightest minds in sarcoma research, drug development and human genetics. Participants included both scientists deeply involved in chordoma research and experts in related fields. What emerged was broad consensus regarding research priorities, and a plan for moving the field forward. For the first time ever an enthusiastic and collegial chordoma research community coalesced around a set of shared goals aimed at improving the treatment of chordoma patients, and new collaborations were initiated involving multidisciplinary research teams in North America, Europe and Asia. An important outcome from the workshop is an ongoing clinical trial using Sutent for 20 chordoma patients with advanced disease. This is only the second U.S. clinical trial specifically for chordoma patients.

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