By this letter I’d like to express my gratitude

Thanks to all our donors, Alexander Druy from the National Research and Clinical Center for Pediatric Hematology participated in the 4th Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Basic and Translational Research Conference held in New York, NY. Below is Alexander's letter explaining why participation in such events is crucial for the future of childhood cancer treatment in Russia.

Dear donors,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Podari Life for supporting my participation in the 4th Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Basic and Translational Research Conference held in New York, NY. This event was organized by the Society for Neuro-Oncology (USA) and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

The conference covered a wide range of topics related to pediatric brain tumors: the biology and molecular genetics of embryonic and glial tumors, advanced diagnostic and monitoring methods, and innovative therapeutic approaches. Our main research focus is on embryonic brain tumors, such as medulloblastoma and atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors. Two major studies—clinical and translational—are currently underway at our center.

The presentations and discussions provided new insights and ideas on how to improve our current research and diagnostic procedures using newly identified molecular markers. We believe that enhancing diagnostic accuracy will ultimately improve patient survival rates through more precise, risk-adapted treatments—reducing treatment intensity for low-risk patients to prevent long-term side effects, and intensifying multimodal therapy for high-risk patients.

The conference's Translational Therapeutics session highlighted promising new compounds showing preclinical activity against various brain tumors. These could become vital treatment options for patients who are resistant to standard chemotherapy or are unable to undergo treatment intensification.

High-grade gliomas—among the most aggressive pediatric brain tumors—remain a major challenge worldwide, with no curative treatment options currently available. However, recent years have seen significant advances in understanding their molecular biology. We are planning to implement comprehensive genetic testing for these tumors at our center, and we are hopeful that continued breakthroughs in molecular biology will soon lead to effective treatments.

Following the conference, I also took part in a collaborative meeting of the Children's Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium, hosted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We discussed future collaboration opportunities between our center and the consortium, with Dr. Adam Resnick (Philadelphia) and Dr. Javad Nazarian (Washington, DC). This fruitful dialogue helped define potential directions for joint research efforts.

In conclusion, my participation in the conference and subsequent meetings has proven incredibly valuable. The knowledge gained is already being put into practice at our center, and we are confident these efforts will soon yield tangible benefits for children undergoing treatment. In fact, we’re already seeing positive outcomes.

None of this would have been possible without the generous support of Podari Life. I sincerely thank all of the donors for making this experience—and the progress that follows—possible.

Warm regards,
Alexander Druy, MD, PhD
National Research and Clinical Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology
Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics