The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center within the Department of Neurosurgery at Duke is the oldest and arguably the most successful comprehensive brain tumor center worldwide. Our track record translating innovative research findings into clinical trials is without peer. Our patients are the reason we strive to deliver hope every day. They come here for the most advanced treatments. Often these are therapies that are not available anywhere else.
At the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, we have had success in creating innovative therapies, including vaccines and poliovirus treatments, that give hope to patients facing this challenging disease. We aim to translate these therapies into long-term cures and make them available to a broader community.
Our Vision for the Future
“Over the past few decades, there have been enormous insights made in our understanding of human brain tumors, what causes them, the makeup of them. However, a lot of those insights have not translated into meaningful outcomes in terms of patient survival. The vision for the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center is to be the global leader in the next step of developing cures for patients with brain tumors and taking that new information and translating it into meaningful patient outcomes.”
- David Ashley, MBBS, FRACP, Phd
Points of Pride
Our Center
• Sees up to 900 new adult brain tumor patients and up to 75 new pediatric brain tumor patients per year from across the country and around the world.
• Has received the highest rating of “outstanding” by the National Cancer Institute for each of the last 15 years.
• Is one of the best pediatric and adult neuro-oncology programs in the world—leading the way in comprehensive care that combines research breakthroughs, clinical trials, and the newest therapies.
• Conducts research activities that are supported by government grants and contracts, foundation and agency awards, and philanthropy. Our Neuro-Oncology Program is currently funded at a level of over $17 million in direct costs annually.
A Story of Hope
Dave Robison went from being told he had only six months to live to now being able to call himself an 11-year brain tumor survivor.
Robison, of Des Moines, Iowa, first learned he had a brain tumor after experiencing a grand mal seizure while away on a business trip. He had never suffered seizures before. He told the doctor who delivered the shocking news, “You’ve got the wrong guy.”
Surgeons in Des Moines said the tumor was too deep and therefore unremovable. He wasn’t given much hope.
Today Robison is doing well—so well in fact that he recently got his pilot’s license back after having lost it soon after his brain tumor diagnosis.
But his wife Toni wasn’t giving up. After searching online and talking with friends, she learned about the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. Just as Robison was about to be fitted for a radiation mask, she stopped the treatment and asked that her husband be taken to Duke instead.
It turned out to be the right call. Days later Robison was at Duke, where neurosurgeon Allan H. Friedman, MD, successfully removed the tumor.
Today Robison is doing well—so well in fact that he recently got his pilot’s license back after having lost it soon after his brain tumor diagnosis.
Along with being grateful for his health, Robison says he has been especially impressed with the kindness and generosity of all his caregivers at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it,” he says. “They form personal relationships with every patient. I don’t know how they do it. I see a whole team of people committed to curing this disease.”
Robison is now chair of the Duke Brain Tumor Program Board of Advisors. He also is involved with the annual Angels Among Us 5K and Walk of HOPE, which has raised $26 million to support brain tumor research at the Brain Tumor Center since it began in 1994.
Innovative Discoveries
Duke’s research program at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center is dedicated to finding outcomes for patients diagnosed with brain tumors. Inspired by the bravery of our patients, we boldly pursue even outrageous possibilities through our research. Progress in fighting brain cancer will come from pursuing innovative strategies. Examples include:
Studies of a genetically modified poliovirus treatment developed at Duke shows significantly improved long-term survival for patients with recurrent glioblastoma, with a three-year survival rate of 21 percent in a phase 1 clinical trial. Comparatively, just 4 percent of patients at Duke with the same type of recurring brain tumors were alive at three years when undergoing the previously available standard treatment.
Read More about the poliovirus treatment.
Harnessing the Power of Immunotherapy
Our scientists are working to harness the power of the body’s immune system to target genetic defects that cause brain tumors. We have identified a variety of genetic defects in brain tumors that talk to the immune system and prevent the immune system from rejecting the tumor.
Fighting Brain Tumors with T-cells
T-cells are the cells you need to fight off cancer. However, our researchers made the discovery that cancers often keep T-cells away, trapping them in the bone marrow. Our researchers have uncovered the mechanism behind this particular phenomenon and are now looking at ways to help T-cells reach brain tumors better. So far, they have had good results using a novel target to cure a variety of brain tumors in mice and hope to create drugs that they can test in human trials soon.
A Global Leader
“The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center has an exceptional legacy. Since 1937, the center has established itself as a leader in the fight against brain cancer. We aim to continue to courageously lead the charge to transform patient outcomes through our innovative research discoveries and development of new treatment standards."
-Henry Friedman, MD: Deputy Director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center; James B. Powell Jr. Professor of Neuro-Oncology
“Our current therapies are good at attacking the tumor and killing it off. But when tumors recur, one of the big challenges we have is how do we prevent those tumors from recurring? Developing new therapies, particularly therapies that attach to tumor cells that escaped the initial therapy and then caused the tumor recurrence, will be key in our quest to conquer brain cancer.”
-John H. Sampson, MD, PhD: President, Private Diagnostic Clinic; Robert H., MD, and Gloria Wilkins Professor of Neurosurgery
Building a Data Warehouse
Duke is creating a repository of data of genetic information, outcome results, and much more. This data will make it easier for our researchers and clinicians to locate new therapies and drugs that can be used for clinical trials and ultimately develop better treatments for patients.
Developing International Partnerships
Researchers are partnering with institutions around the world to more quickly advance promising research. One partnership with the University of Sydney in Australia involves examining how COVID-19 impacts cancer management and patient outcomes.
Taking a Targeted Approach
Several promising cellular therapies targeting brain tumors are being created at Duke’s Molecular Products and Cellular Therapies (MPACT) facility. With support from philanthropic funding, the facility produces cellular vaccines for brain tumor immunotherapy trials. Facility researchers are able to modify patient cells to target a specific type of tumor and then reinfuse those cells back into the patient.
Advancing Treatment Through Clinical Trials
Perhaps our most advanced methods of scientific exploration come in the form of clinical trials. Some promising outcomes of brain tumor clinical trials include the development of temozolomide and Avastin for the treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastoma, and more recently the poliovirus and vaccine therapies. We currently have 12 clinical trials open to adult patients and 3 open to pediatric patients. Read More.
How You Can Help
Donors can make a difference in the length and quality of life for patients with brain tumors, many of whom had nowhere else to turn. Your support gives new hope and saves lives. There are many ways to support our work at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke.
To learn more, contact:
Executive Director of Development Holli Gall at holli.gall@duke.edu; Phone: 336-971-0823