Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (LPCH) opened in 1991 and is the heart and soul of Stanford Children’s Health. Nationally ranked and internationally recognized, the 311-bed hospital is devoted entirely to pediatrics and obstetrics.

The Pediatric Neuro-Oncology program at LPCH includes world-class pediatric neurosurgeons, neuro-radiologists, radiation oncologists, neuro-oncologists, neuropathologists, social workers, neuropsychologists, rehabilitation experts and nurse practitioners.

LPCH specializes in surgical techniques that reduce exposure of the brain or spinal column, lower risk, shorten recovery time, and minimize the disruption of healthy tissue. Packard Children’s is also the only hospital in Northern California that deploys ROSA™, the robotic surgical assistant, for pediatric use. ROSA™ makes neurosurgery safer, faster, and more precise.

Researchers at Stanford and Packard Children’s are investigating ways to deliver new chemotherapy drugs directly to brain tumors. One such effort, led by CBTTC investigator Dr. Gerald Grant, examines ways to get different kinds of drugs past the blood-brain barrier, the gate-keeping mechanism that keeps dangerous molecules (and potentially helpful drugs) out of the brain. Dr. Grant’s work may open doors to whole new kinds of chemotherapeutic drugs.

Stanford is currently running about a dozen brain-tumor-related clinical trials, including studies of new immune therapies and chemotherapy drugs, innovative combinations of chemotherapy and radiation, and new medications that may help address the memory and attention problems that patients sometimes experience after treatment.

Supporters may be familiar with Dr. Michelle Monje who works at this institution. Her work centers on high grade gliomas; predominantly DIPG. She is also on the verge of opening a CAR-T trial.

Principal CBTTC Investigators: Michelle Monje, MD, PhD; Gerald Grant, MD, FACS; Sonia Partap, MD