OUR PURPOSE
to believe.
exist.
MEET THE MEDULLOBLASTOMA INITIATIVE
The Medulloblastoma Initiative (MBI) is the result of of a life-changing experience. A first-person experience that sparked action that has already begun to transform thousands of lives.
Cancer is a complex theme. Facing it requires addressing many needs and establishing numerous task forces. It is necessary to raise awareness. It is necessary to provide support to patients and their families. It is necessary to create mechanisms for specialized care. It is necessary to build clinical infrastructure to treat patients, and also to ensure access to it. And it is necessary to enable research. Because only research will find a cure.
We at MBI work alongside several other public and private institutions with which we share this steadfast passion — each with a focus. Our focus is research. Our goal is ambitious and urgent. And because of that, our mission must be clear. And clear it is: we exist to raise funds to enable scientific research of the highest level in the search for a cure for medulloblastoma.
Our ecosystem
SUPPORTERS | DONORS | MEDIA
THE MEDULLOBLASTOMA INITIATIVE
- Leading the process
- Fundraising
- Awareness raising
CHILDREN’S NATIONAL HOSPITAL
- Operational support
- Fundraising
- Scientific coordination
THE CURE GROUP 4 CONSORTIUM
16 laboratories in the USA,
Canada and Germany
- Research
- Development
- Clinical trials
THE CURE
To fulfill its mission of finding a cure for medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain cancer, the MBI operates in an ecosystem that is fueled by the support from private donors, from individuals who contribute through networking and awareness building, and from individuals and media outlets that disseminate our message. All these assets are channeled by the MBI to Children’s National in Washington DC, a fundraising partner and the institution in charge of managing, overseeing, and linking donated resources to the researchers, laboratories, and institutions that make up the Cure Group 4 Consortium. The Consortium then focuses on research & development and coordinates the clinical trials that will translate into new treatments, and hopefully a cure for medulloblastoma.
TIMELINE
MBI milestones
2025
August 2025
Seattle Children’s and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia join the Cure Group 4 Consortium, bringing the total number of labs engaged in MBI’s mission to 16.
June 2025
The Washington Post publishes a letter from Fernando Goldsztein about the lack of investment in pediatric cancer research and the urgency for new therapies for childhood brain tumors.
May 2025
Patient recruitment begins for MATCHPOINT, the first MBI-funded clinical trial led by Dr. Duane Mitchell at the University of Florida, focused on immunotherapy for group 4 medulloblastoma.
Two scientists from the Consortium are co-authors of a paper published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature; the paper describes which alterations in oncogenes drive the progression of medulloblastoma, revealing new possibilities for early detection and more precise interventions.
January 2025
MIT highlights MBI’s innovative model and its potential to revolutionize funding for rare disease research in an article published on both the institution’s website and that of the MIT Sloan School of Management.
2024
December 2024
Donations to MBI exceed US$11 million, demonstrating society’s growing engagement with the cause.
November 2024
Dr. Roger J. Packer leads an a MBI webinar presenting two clinical trials ready to begin in patients. Both were approved in record time: just two and a half years after the research began, a process that usually takes a decade or more.
October 2024
MBI has two FDA-approved clinical trials, led by Drs. Duane Mitchell and Elias Sayour of the University of Florida. The therapies being investigated are adoptive cell therapy combined with PD-1 inhibitors and an mRNA vaccine designed to reprogram the immune system.
MBI is participating for the first time in the Race for Every Child, a major annual fundraising event at Children’s National Hospital. The MBI team, No Time to Lose, with the support of the Proakis family, is the highest-scoring among more than 500 teams.
September 2024
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) joins the Cure Group 4 Consortium, expanding scientific collaboration to 14 laboratories.
August 2024
Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper publishes a report highlighting MBI’s commitment to transforming a personal experience into an action with global impact.
July 2024
The Wilson Center publishes an interview with Fernando Goldsztein, highlighting our model of international cooperation.
June 2024
Brazilian magazine Veja publishes a report on MBI’s progress, highlighting the approval of clinical trials and the initiative’s commitment to innovation.
April 2024
MBI and Children’s National Hospital participate in an event organized by the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C., bringing together scientists, leaders, and supporters to discuss the global partnership that has rapidly advanced research. The event was attended by Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Brazil’s ambassador to the United States, and Michelle Riley-Brown, President and CEO of the hospital.
March 2024
The history of MBI is presented to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), in Washington, during the session dedicated to World Rare Disease Day.
Febuary 2024
MATCHPOINT, a clinical trial supported by MBI, is approved by the FDA. The therapy, developed by Dr. Duane Mitchell at the University of Florida, combines T cells with PD-1 inhibitors, representing an unprecedented advancement in treatment.
Fernando Goldsztein speaks at the meeting of the Society of Neuro-Oncology of Latin America (SNOLA), the largest scientific event in the field in Latin America.
2023
December 2023
Exame magazine, one of the leading in Brazil, publishes an article written by Fernando Goldsztein, highlighting the work model of the MBI Consortium, Cure Group 4.
November 2023
Fernando Goldsztein presents MBI at the first edition of Conexões de Valor (Valuable Connections), an event promoted by PUCRS to highlight impactful initiatives led by the university’s alumni.
October 2023
Fernando Goldsztein and Dr. Roger Packer, along with entrepreneur William Ling and Ambassador Otávio Brandelli, supporters, discuss MBI in the context of Brazil-US partnerships in the health sciences sector in a webinar hosted by the Brazil-US Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).
September 2023
We participated in the 1st International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology in Porto Alegre. The meeting marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and brings together leading scientists, including Drs. Michael Taylor and Vijay Ramaswamy of the Cure Group 4 Consortium.
August 2023
Fernando Goldsztein receives the Guri Trophy, awarded by the RBS Communications Group to outstanding individuals from Rio Grande do Sul who represent the state beyond Brazil’s borders.
MBI gained prominence in the press with two publications in Folha de S.Paulo, one of Brazil’s leading newspapers: a report on the creation of the initiative and an article written by our founder.
March 2023
Dr. Michael Taylor, a world-renowned physician, neurosurgeon and researcher and a member of the Consortium since the early days in 2021, takes his work with medulloblastoma to Texas Children’s Hospital, thus expanding the Consortium reach.
January 2023
Dr. Wechsler-Reya’s lab moves to Columbia University, where the team will continue the Consortium’s essential work.
2022
December 2022
The year 2022 ends with USD 8 million raised.
November 2022
Children’s National produces and launches the No Time to Lose video campaign, sealing the partnership between the MBI and Children’s National, where Dr. Roger Packer, Cure Group 4 Consortium Principal Investigator, is based.
October 2022
Dr. Dalia Haydar, from Children’s National, joins the Consortium to expand research on CAR-T cells that harness the body’s own immune system to seek and destroy tumor cells.
September 2022
Three Consortium members co-author an article published in the prestigious journal Nature, describing a groundbreaking discovery that traces the origins of medulloblastoma. The MBI support is acknowledged in the article.
July 2022
The MBI is featured in the MIT Sloan alumni website. The story told by MBI founder Fernando Goldsztein was chosen one of the top 10 MIT Sloan alumni stories in 2022.
May 2022
The first face to face Consortium workshop is was held at the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus, in Washington DC.
April 2022
Work on PARP protein inhibitors — potent but non-toxic drugs that have shown promise in the treatment of brain tumors — starts as Drs. Lena M. Kutscher and Carl Koschmann join the Consortium.
March 2022
Dr. Javad Nazarian joins the Consortium to develop a platform for liquid biopsy — a simple blood draw that among others may enable doctors to monitor how a child’s tumor is responding to treatment.
January 2022
A major breakthrough is achieved: Dr. Sheila Singh establishes the first line of human stem cells capable of generating Group 4 medulloblastoma in a laboratory model — a critical basis for multiple investigations aimed at discovering new drug candidates for clinical trials.
“If the problem is going to be solved, it’s going to be solved
by this group.”
2021
December 2021
Dr. Tobey McDonald joins the Consortium to work with molecularly targeted therapies.
The year 2021 ends with USD 5 million raised.
September 2021
Dr. Sheila Singh joins the Consortium to work on the development of human stem cell lines capable of generating Group 4 medulloblastoma tumors in laboratory models for testing of new drugs.
August 2021
The Consortium constitutes its Independent Advisory Board, made up of three renowned researchers — Dr. Ian F. Pollack (UPMC Children’s Hospital, Pittsburgh); Scott Pomeroy (Harvard Medical School); and William A. Weiss, (UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco). The role of the Council is to monitor the development of research in accordance with ethical and scientific standards and the allocation of resources to the activities for which they were raised. By the end of August 2021, MBI’s consistent effort brought in the first million dollars in donations made by non-founders.
July 2021
The Cure Group 4 Consortium is established with Dr. Roger J. Packer as principal investigator. Three institutions in the US and one in Canada constituted the initial Consortium group.
June 2021
Based on Dr. Roger J. Packer’s vision, The Medulloblastoma Initiative (MBI), is created with support from a founding donation of USD 3 million.
June 2021
Based on Dr. Roger J. Packer’s vision, The Medulloblastoma Initiative (MBI), is created with support from a founding donation of USD 3 million.
July 2021
The Cure Group 4 Consortium is established with Dr. Roger J. Packer as principal investigator. Three institutions in the US and one in Canada constituted the initial Consortium group.
August 2021
The Consortium constitutes its Independent Advisory Board, made up of three renowned researchers — Dr. Ian F. Pollack (UPMC Children's Hospital, Pittsburgh); Scott Pomeroy (Harvard Medical School); and William A. Weiss, (UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco). The role of the Council is to monitor the development of research in accordance with ethical and scientific standards and the allocation of resources to the activities for which they were raised. By the end of August 2021, MBI's consistent effort brought in the first million dollars in donations made by non-founders.
September 2021
Dr. Sheila Singh joins the Consortium to work on the development of human stem cell lines capable of generating Group 4 medulloblastoma tumors in laboratory models for testing of new drugs.
December 2021
Dr. Tobey McDonald joins the Consortium to work with molecularly targeted therapies.
The year 2021 ends with USD 5 million raised.
January 2022
A major breakthrough is achieved: Dr. Sheila Singh establishes the first line of human stem cells capable of generating Group 4 medulloblastoma in a laboratory model — a critical basis for multiple investigations aimed at discovering new drug candidates for clinical trials.
March 2022
Dr. Javad Nazarian joins the Consortium to develop a platform for liquid biopsy — a simple blood draw that among others may enable doctors to monitor how a child’s tumor is responding to treatment.
April 2022
Work on PARP protein inhibitors — potent but non-toxic drugs that have shown promise in the treatment of brain tumors — starts as Drs. Lena M. Kutscher and Carl Koschmann join the Consortium.
May 2022
The first face to face Consortium workshop is was held at the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus, in Washington DC.
July 2022
The MBI is featured in the MIT Sloan alumni website. The story told by MBI founder Fernando Goldsztein was chosen one of the top 10 MIT Sloan alumni stories in 2022.
September 2022
Three Consortium members co-author an article published in the prestigious journal Nature, describing a groundbreaking discovery that traces the origins of medulloblastoma. The MBI support is acknowledged in the article.
October 2022
Dr. Dalia Haydar, from Children's National, joins the Consortium to expand research on CAR-T cells that harness the body’s own immune system to seek and destroy tumor cells.
November 2022
Children’s National produces and launches the No Time to Lose video campaign, sealing the partnership between the MBI and Children's National, where Dr. Roger Packer, Cure Group 4 Consortium Principal Investigator, is based.
December 2022
The year 2022 ends with USD 8 million raised.
January 2023
Dr. Wechsler-Reya's lab moves to Columbia University, where the team will continue the Consortium's essential work.
March 2023
Dr. Michael Taylor, a world-renowned physician, neurosurgeon and researcher and a member of the Consortium since the early days in 2021, takes his work with medulloblastoma to Texas Children’s Hospital, thus expanding the Consortium reach.
June 2023
The most important highlight of the second Cure Group 4 Consortium Workshop was the announcement that the Consortium's advances have enabled the planning of two clinical trials to be launched over the next 6 to 12 months.
The MBI is presented at MIT to a packed Wong Auditorium as part of the Ideas Made to Matter Talks in the 2023 MIT Sloan Alumni Reunion
"Children should not have cancer," stated MBI founder in a video interview with EXAME, a major Brazilian news and business magazine, with massive repercussions.
July 2023
The MBI is covered in a story in newspaper O Globo — a powerful daily engaging readers in Brazil and abroad. Because the technological advances of many fields have not resulted in better cancer treatments for children, the impact of the MBI has been incredible, engaging institutions, researchers, and donors to focus on curing medulloblastoma, which accounts for nearly 50% of pediatric brain tumors.
August 2023
MBI launches an effort to engage scientific partners in Brazil for the planning of clinical trials.
June 2021
July 2021
August 2021
September 2021
December 2021
The year 2021 ends with USD 5 million raised.
US$ 5 mi
January 2022
“If the problem is going to be solved, it’s going to be solved by this group.”
March 2022
April 2022
May 2022
July 2022
September 2022
October 2022
November 2022
October 2022
US$ 8 mi
January 2023
March 2023
June 2023
The MBI is presented at MIT to a packed Wong Auditorium as part of the Ideas Made to Matter Talks in the 2023 MIT Sloan Alumni Reunion
"Children should not have cancer," stated MBI founder in a video interview with EXAME, a major Brazilian news and business magazine, with massive repercussions.
July 2023
August 2023
THE MBI TEAM
Meet the people
Fernando Goldsztein
Founder
Mauro Dorfman
Strategic coordination
Claudia Buchweitz
Team coordination
Martina Eva Fischer
Project management
Iago Paz
Development and design
THE WORDS OF A FATHER
To restore hope
I have a long history with cancer. Over two decades ago, I found myself battling chondrosarcoma, a rare, serious type of malignancy. Thus began a complex journey – one of sometimes inexplicable ups and downs, highs and lows – but every step of the way, I felt a growing urge to be able to change the course of this disease.
I invite you to learn more about the Initiative and to engage in this unique effort, which will restore hope and save the lives of thousands of children.
After all, as the Talmud says — “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire”.
Fernando Goldsztein
Founder, The Medulloblastoma Initiative Member, Board of Directors, Cyrela Brazil Realty MBA, Fundação Dom Cabral MBA, MIT Sloan School of Management
