DIPG: The power of collective giving
It takes a village to raise a child and in some cases that village becomes something truly remarkable.
As a cancer researcher initially focussed on blood cancers, alumnus Associate Professor Matt Dun’s research took an unexpected turn in 2018 when his daughter Josephine was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).
Associate Professor Dun (Doctor of Philosophy, 2012; Bachelor of Biotechnology (Honours), 2008; Bachelor of Biotechnology, 2007) has since joined the forefront of DIPG research worldwide to investigate timely and innovative anti-DIPG therapies to improve the current standard of care, treatment and management of this deadliest form of childhood cancer.
Associate Professor Dun’s research has led to the establishment of two international clinical trials using new drugs he identified. These drugs now form the backbone of a combination therapy clinical trial for children and young adults diagnosed with DIPG; a clinical trial that is now open in 32 hospitals around the world, including in Australia.
Thanks to the generous support my team and I have received over the last five years, we have made giant strides towards improving the outcomes for children diagnosed with DIPG. Although we have a long way to go, I feel pride in what we have achieved already and honoured that our community could play a direct role in helping us to develop treatments I hope will lead to long term survival.”
Associate Professor Matt Dun
NHMRC Investigator Emerging Leader
School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy
TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE
DIPG research at the University of Newcastle is funded by a village of individuals and organisations whose contributions, large and small, enable Associate Professor Dun and his team to advance how we understand and treat this currently incurable disease.
In recent years, generous donations to the University of Newcastle directed to support Associate Professor Dun’s DIPG research have contributed more than $2.3 million to improve treatment outcomes for patients and families affected by DIPG.
YOUR COLLECTIVE SUPPORT IS HAVING A POWERFUL IMPACT
Thank you to everyone who generously donates to Associate Professor Matt Dun’s DIPG research.
ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation
Charlie Teo Foundation
CureCell
DIPG Collaborative
Edie's Kindness Project
Isabella and Marcus Foundation (via Australian Communities Foundation)
John Hunter Hospital Charitable Trust
Kazia Therapeutics Limited
Little Legs Foundation
Liv Like a Unicorn Foundation
Maitland Cancer Appeal Committee Incorporated
McDonald Jones Charitable Foundation
RUN DIPG
Strategic Group
The Blackjack Foundation
The Hirsch Family Funderpants (via good2give)
The Kids' Cancer Project
Tour De Cure
Yuvaan Tiwari Foundation (via the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium Foundation)
Donors from the community
To hear more stories about the remarkable research happening at the University, visit newcastle.edu.au/research/stories
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