MBI in the spotlight: a feature by MIT News
MBI has been highlighted by one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An article showcasing our innovative model and the groundbreaking advances achieved through it is now available on the MIT website. This recognition reaffirms the significance of the work we are doing and inspires us to continue making a difference.
MBI in the spotlight: a feature by MIT News
MBI has been highlighted by one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An article showcasing our innovative model and the groundbreaking advances achieved through it is now available on the MIT website. This recognition reaffirms the significance of the work we are doing and inspires us to continue making a difference.
The
Medulloblastoma
Initiative
The Medulloblastoma Initiative (MBI) was established in 2021 to materialize the vision shared by Brazilian entrepreneur Fernando Goldsztein and Dr. Roger J. Packer, based at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC.. The MBI raises private resources that are channeled to the research on Group 4 medulloblastoma developed by the Cure Group 4 Consortium — which includes 14 laboratories installed in the US, Canada, and Germany. Medulloblastoma is the most common pediatric brain cancer. Nevertheless, the treatment protocol used today has not changed since the 1980s.
In addition to not curing a large proportion of the children affected by medulloblastoma, current treatments impose severe, life-lasting side effects to the children who survive. And this is why the MBI works to connect private donors to great scientists.
Join us — “whoever saves one life saves the world entire”.
MATCHPOINT:
Duane Mitchell, MD, PhD, co-director of the University of Florida’s Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, leads the MATCHPOINT trial. The therapy harnesses adoptive cell therapy (ACT), which programs a patient’s T cells (white blood cells critical to the body) to seek and destroy cancer cells. In a previous study (ReMATCH), Dr. Mitchell’s lab demonstrated ACT’s significant promise as a safe and effective treatment for relapsed medulloblastoma. One patient saw a nearly total elimination of widespread metastatic disease.
“The ultimate goal is we want to cure kids”
SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS
INTEGRATING THE CONSORTIUM
IN THE MEDIA
This month, the II Conexões de Valor will take place, this project that had its first edition in 2023 and was born from the inspiration of the PUCRS Alumnus…
Every year, about 25,000 children worldwide are diagnosed with medulloblastoma, the most common type of childhood brain cancer. It primarily affects children aged 4 to 9…
After receiving the news that his son had cancer, Brazilian businessman Fernando Goldsztein created an innovative research model and, in record time, secured approval…
In June 2024, VEJA magazine published the statement given by Fernando Goldsztein, Founder of The Medulloblastoma Initiative, to journalist Simone Blanes.
Journalist Kelly Matos, from Zero Hora—one of Brazil’s leading newspapers—wrote a heartfelt column about cancer cures and the work of MBI
“I intend to work for the rest of my life for pediatric cancer. I am sure that this group of scientists will find the cure for medulloblastoma…
Jennifer Griffin (Fox News) reports on Fernando Goldsztein and the Medulloblastoma Initiative’s efforts to fight the most common form of pediatric brain cancer
Created by a businessman from Rio Grande do Sul, MBI searches for funds to finance the research to combat medulloblasma. The global initiative raised USD 10 million in two years. In six months, the consortium of laboratories financed by the project has already made significant discoveries.
What is medulloblastoma? What are the late effects of treatment? Ana Lourenço addresses these topics and tells how MBI came about and its mission to find a cure for medulloblastoma. “We have to persevere and keep going. We can’t give up.” says Fernando Goldsztein, founder of the project.
Fernando Goldsztein, MBI founder, tells the reasons for creating the project and how it has grown exponentially since its foundation. “A parent’s heartfelt thought: children should be immune to cancer!”, he declares.
The columnist Daniel Scola talks about his experience at the 1st International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology, reporting his experience as a survivor and commenting on the importance that initiatives such as MBI have in the development of new treatments.
On Father’s Day, journalist Cláudia Colucci and Folha de S.Paulo tell the story of MBI, which supports a consortium of laboratories seeking a cure for medulloblastoma — an initiative born from the experience of a father and a child facing this cancer.
O relato de Fernando Goldsztein sobre a MBI foi publicado na newsletter da MIT Sloan, a escola de negócios do prestigiado Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Não por acaso, a história da MBI entrou para a lista das 10 melhores histórias de ex-alunos da MIT Sloan Business School em 2022.
The research supported the MBI to find a cure of medulloblastoma, the most common brain cancer in children, will soon begin clinical trials. For this new stage, in the coming months, MBI will seek $7 million in private donations.
“My son’s illness changed my life,” says Fernando Goldsztein, MBI founder. He left an executive position at a large real estate company to support research aimed at finding a cure for medulloblastoma.
How did MBI start, and what difference can philanthropic donations make in advancing scientific research? “I never imagined the impact could be so significant,” the founder of MBI told Brazil Journal.
In 2021, Brazilian journalist Daniel Scola was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. “I was among those saved thanks to science,,” he wrote when reporting about the MBI, “an innovative project that will greatly contribute to health globally”.
GOING ON AT MBI
Advancing pediatric cancer research: Cure Group 4 meeting updates
On January 29, 2025, MBI researchers joined the latest Cure Group 4 Consortium meeting, connecting experts from the US, Canada, and Germany. The team discussed preparations for two upcoming FDA-approved clinical trials and set new research goals.
Accelerating progress: funding hope for childhood brain cancer
Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children, with medulloblastoma relapsing in 30% of cases. Current treatments, developed in the 1980s, often cause severe, lifelong side effects—when survival is even possible. Now, hope is
Race for Every Child: MBI makes its mark at a very special event
MBI’s first participation in the Race for Every Child, hosted in Washington, D.C., by our partner Children’s National Hospital, was simply sensational…
