[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           DIPG AWARENESS DAY

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                          HON. STEPHEN KNIGHT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 17, 2017

  Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to a terrible 
and almost uniformly fatal form of pediatric cancer, Diffuse Intrinsic 
Pontine Glioma, or DIPG.
  DIPG is a tumor, located in the brain stem, that almost exclusively 
affects children and for which no treatment exists.
  As any parent knows, there is no worse feeling in the world than 
learning your child has been diagnosed with something fatal and there 
is nothing they can do about it.
  Today, May 17, is a special day for advocates who are working hard 
around the world to raise awareness for resources and research to 
combat the disease.
  Earlier this year, two research groups, from Northwestern University 
and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, published separate studies 
with groundbreaking insights into the genetic mutation that occurs in 
80 percent of DIPG cases. The next set of research will test 
therapeutic strategies to treat the mutation.
  Congresswoman Jackie Speier and I introduced H. Res. 69, to formally 
recognize DIPG Awareness Day in the House of Representatives.
  I'd like to thank Congresswoman Speier and the 18 other Members who 
are helping promote DIPG awareness, the researchers who are 
investigating cures and treatments, and the families and friends of 
DIPG victims who are working to search for a cure.

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