Join us for an Impact Update webinar and live Q&A with Executive Director Josh Sommer
Achievements stemming from our recently completed ALL IN campaign have given us much to look forward to, and much to … Continue reading
Category Archives: Research
What the chordoma community achieved by going ALL IN
In 2017 we launched our ALL IN campaign: an ambitious $16M initiative aiming to seize extraordinary opportunities in chordoma research … Continue reading
Meet the new team members catalyzing chordoma research progress
For more than three decades, internationally renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Chandra Sen, the Bergman Family Professor of Skull Base Surgery at NYU Langone Health, has provided expert surgical care to patients with chordoma and other skull base tumors. Now, Dr. Sen – a longtime member of the Chordoma Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board – has assembled a team of researchers at NYU Langone to join him in a new initiative to advance chordoma science. Continue reading
Learning from results of three recent brachyury vaccine trials
We know that chordoma is a tricky adversary. So when a recent clinical trial testing a therapeutic vaccine came back with unsatisfactory results, we were disappointed, but wholly undeterred. After all, scientific progress is almost never linear — and perseverance is the name of the game in this community. Continue reading
Five ways patients can accelerate chordoma research
An uncommon level of commitment from the chordoma patient community has been the key driver of new discoveries that are changing the outlook for this disease. There are numerous opportunities for each of us affected by chordoma to fuel research advances that will dramatically improve treatments and outcomes. Continue reading
NYU launches ambitious new chordoma research program thanks to patient philanthropy
For more than three decades, internationally renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Chandra Sen, the Bergman Family Professor of Skull Base Surgery at NYU Langone Health, has provided expert surgical care to patients with chordoma and other skull base tumors. Now, Dr. Sen – a longtime member of the Chordoma Foundation’s Medical Advisory Board – has assembled a team of researchers at NYU Langone to join him in a new initiative to advance chordoma science. Continue reading
New grant will support chordoma immunotherapy research at Johns Hopkins Medicine
Immunotherapy is an approach that harnesses patients’ own immune systems to recognize and destroy their tumors. In recent years, it’s shown tremendous promise against several cancers. To ensure that chordoma patients benefit from these advances as well, investing in immunotherapy research is one of the Chordoma Foundation’s top priorities. Our newest immunotherapy grant will support a project to characterize the complex interactions between chordoma tumor cells and the immune system with the goal of identifying new treatment approaches for chordoma patients. Continue reading
New research investment to reveal chordoma subtypes, drivers of metastasis
The Chordoma Foundation is thrilled to have awarded two new $250,000 research grants aimed at generating a more complete picture of chordoma biology. The funds will support teams led by investigators at the University of Minnesota (U of M) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg, Germany, as they uncover drivers of chordoma metastasis and actionable differences in tumor subtypes, including tumors of different anatomic locations. Their findings are expected to uncover new therapeutic targets and inform personalized treatment strategies for chordoma patients. Continue reading
Radiation therapy for chordoma: More personalized decisions may be possible through tumor genetics
After having surgery to remove their tumor, most skull base chordoma patients also undergo radiation therapy. However, even in experienced centers, radiation can be associated with some long-term side effects. Thus, patients sometimes wonder if they could forgo radiation – particularly if no tumor remains after surgery. Now, new data could make the choice a little clearer for most patients with skull base chordoma. Researchers discovered that patients whose tumors have certain genetic markers might be able to refrain from radiation if surgery is successful in removing the entire tumor. Continue reading
Could a blood test detect the presence of chordoma?
Determining whether a chordoma tumor is responding to treatment – or if the disease has recurred – is a pressing challenge for patients and their care teams. Current techniques are imperfect: imaging can be impeded by surgical scarring and hardware, for example, and small recurrences or metastases may go undetected until they are large enough to show up on scans. Continue reading