The Children's Tumor Foundation
12/12/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/12/2025 12:52
CTF Strategic Investment Takes Direct Aim at Drug Resistance Barriers in NF2Empty heading
University of Plymouth study looks at combinations of therapies to control NF2-related schwannomas and meningiomasEmpty heading
The Children's Tumor Foundation is proud to support a groundbreaking study at the University of Plymouth (London, England) led by Dr. Sylwia Ammoun focused on one of the most urgent challenges facing people living with NF2-related schwannomatosis: drug resistance. This project, "Targeting multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanisms in meningioma and schwannoma," is advancing an entirely new therapeutic strategy aimed at giving NF2-SWN patients more-and far better-treatment options.
A woman wearing a white lab coat stands in a laboratory with shelves and equipment in the background.Dr. Sylwia Ammoun Associate Professor, University of Plymouth
"For many years, researchers worldwide, including our laboratory, have searched for new therapeutic targets and tested numerous drugs in NF2-related and sporadic schwannoma and meningioma tumours. Although many of these agents showed promising effects in laboratory models, most ultimately proved to be ineffective or only partially effective in patients during clinical trials," said Dr. Sylwia Ammoun, Associate Professor, University of Plymouth. "This led us to suspect that there is a fundamental feature of these tumours that prevents the drugs from working effectively. Our research so far has shown that schwannoma and meningioma tumours are inherently drug resistant and therefore do not fully respond to drug therapies. If we are to find effective treatments for these tumours, that is something we urgently need to address. Our ongoing research is possible thanks to generous support from organisations such as the Children's Tumor Foundation, as well as patients who donated samples, for which we are deeply grateful."
NF2-related schwannomatosis often leads to multiple tumors throughout the nervous system, causing hearing loss, facial paralysis, chronic pain, and other life-altering symptoms. Yet current treatments are limited, and many drugs that look promising in the lab fail to work in patients. Increasing evidence suggests that multidrug resistance-tumor cells actively pumping therapies out-as a major barrier to treatment success.
This newly funded project directly addresses that problem.
Using patient-derived schwannoma and meningioma cells, the research team is testing whether combining FDA-approved (for other indications) or clinically tested drugs with inhibitors that block MDR "pump" proteins can restore drug effectiveness at lower doses and with fewer side effects. Early lab studies already show that these combinations can shrink tumors more effectively than past approaches, even when using drug levels far below typical clinical doses. The team is also exploring how radiation increases drug resistance-and whether pairing radiation with MDR inhibitors can counteract that effect.
A woman in a lab coat and blue gloves works at a laboratory bench with scientific equipment and supplies visible around her."We funded this project because drug resistance has long been a barrier to developing effective therapies for NF2-related schwannomatosis," said Irene Morganstern, PhD, Director of Preclinical Initiatives, Children's Tumor Foundation. "By exploring ways to restore drug sensitivity and test safer, low-dose combinations, this research could redefine treatment for NF2 patients-offering more effective tumor control, safer therapies, and more real options for those who urgently need them."
"The grant awarded by the Children's Tumor Foundation is an exciting milestone for the project I have been working on over the past three years. Securing the support of such a dedicated charity is truly inspiring; without funding of this kind, our research may not have been able to progress," said University of Plymouth PhD researcher Summer Henderson. "Addressing multi-drug resistance in meningioma and schwannoma tumours has the potential to make a significant difference for patients, and we remain hopeful that our work will ultimately lead to better, more effective options for those living with these conditions."
This project, funded with a Children's Tumor Foundation Drug Discovery Initiative Award, reflects the core mission of the grant program: advancing bold ideas that tackle NF's toughest challenges, from overcoming drug resistance to accelerating innovative targeted therapies. By supporting researchers who are repurposing existing drugs, validating new treatment targets, and closing the gap between laboratory discovery and patient benefit, CTF is working to build a future where every person living with NF has access to safer, more effective therapies.
This study moves that future one step closer.
�� Read about the other projects funded through the Drug Discovery Initiative this year.
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