NIH funding cuts delayed a promising childhood brain cancer trial as patients lost time they did not have

Eight-year-old John Paul Macri was diagnosed in March 2025 with inoperable DIPG, a brain tumor with a 2% five-year survival rate and a prognosis of two to 11 months. His family found a promising mRNA-based trial close to launch when NIH funding cuts tied to DOGE delayed it, costing children time they could not spare.