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The Children's Tumor Foundation

01/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/13/2026 14:00

Supporting Scientific Talent: Career Development Award Goes to Dr. Vikas KumarEmpty heading

The Children's Tumor Foundation (CTF) is proud to announce that Dr. Vikas Kumar, a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. James Walker's laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been selected to receive this year's Career Development Award through our ongoing partnership with the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT).

This award supports bold scientific work with the potential to expand treatment options for people living with neurofibromatosis (NF). At CTF, we invest in research that accelerates progress for NF1 and all forms of schwannomatosis (SWN), including NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN). A key part of that strategy is supporting promising scientists early in their careers.

Dr. Kumar's study, "Circular RNA Therapeutics for Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)," aims to develop a new type of treatment for NF1 using a special form of genetic material called circular RNA and tiny particles made from red blood cells to deliver it.

In NF1, many neurological symptoms happen because the body has only one working copy of the NF1 gene instead of two. This study will test whether adding circular RNA versions of the NF1 gene into nerve cells can help those cells work normally again. It will also explore whether red blood cell-based nanoparticles can safely carry these circular RNA.

If successful, this approach could solve several barriers that currently limit gene therapy-such as immune reactions, limited "space" for genetic cargo, difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier, and challenges in manufacturing.

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The Children's Tumor Foundation published this content on January 13, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 13, 2026 at 20:01 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]

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