05 Jun Funding Awarded to the MIRCADE Team in the Fight Against an Incurable Pediatric Glioma

Posted at 15:42h in News, Society by

The BRIC is pleased to announce that the project led by Dr. Christophe Grosset, INSERM Research Director and head of the MIRCADE team (Methods and Innovations for Childhood Cancer Research), has been selected as one of seven awardees of the 2025 call for projects launched by the association Des Étoiles dans la Mer, which supports research on glioblastoma and pediatric gliomas.

The funded project, titled “Optimization of a Pediatric Brainstem Infiltrating Glioma Model,” will receive €20,000 in funding, raised through the national awareness and fundraising campaign “Mai en Gris – La Course des Étoiles.”
Its goal: to develop the most accurate model of pediatric glioma possible, which will then be used routinely in the lab to test promising therapeutic compounds, alone or in combination.

A Project to Test New Therapies for DIPG

Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), also known in French as GITC (gliome infiltrant du tronc cérébral), remains one of the most devastating pediatric cancers, with extremely limited treatment options to date.
The project funded by Des Étoiles dans la Mer aims to improve a preclinical model of this pathology — a crucial step before evaluating new therapies and ultimately offering them to patients.

A radiographic image of a child with DIPG illustrates the critical nature of this condition.

Thanks to this financial support, the MIRCADE team will work on refining this model to make it more representative of tumors observed in young DIPG patients, thereby paving the way for more innovative and targeted treatments.
Improving the model will also strengthen existing industrial partnerships and facilitate the development of new collaborations.

A Recognition of Scientific and Civic Commitment

The selection of Dr. Grosset’s project by the association’s Scientific Committee — from among 24 submitted applications — is a strong endorsement of the quality of research conducted within the MIRCADE team and the relevance of its objectives.
This funding also sends a clear message from civil society: even though childhood cancers are rare, they deserve strong and sustained financial support.
The BRIC and the MIRCADE team extend their deepest thanks to Des Étoiles dans la Mer for its unwavering commitment to researchers and its continued trust in the pediatric oncology research conducted within our institute.