Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) webinars communicate the initiative’s goals and activities, highlight progress, and demonstrate how to find and use CCDI web applications, platforms, and data.
If you missed a webinar, access past recordings and presentations below.
May 12, 2026: Developing Translational and Predictive Imaging Biomarkers of Radiotherapy-Induced Brain Injury in Preclinical Models
This webinar discusses emerging approaches to detecting and monitoring radiotherapy-induced brain injury (RIBI). RIBI and its associated cognitive effects are common, long-term complications that can significantly impact brain tumor survivors, particularly those treated in childhood. It also discusses translational and predictive multi-parametric MRI biomarkers that may enable early, noninvasive detection of RIBI, support monitoring of patient responses to therapies over time, and provide insight into neuroinflammation, cognitive changes, and long-term outcomes following radiotherapy.
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April 27, 2026: CCDI Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Rare Cancer Study
This webinar focuses on the newly launched CCDI Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Rare Cancer Study. It is a longitudinal, observational study that collects different types of health and genomic data from people with very rare childhood cancers. The information collected during the study will be added to the CCDI Data Ecosystem, where researchers can use it to better understand how or why these cancers develop and how they behave over time. This knowledge may help find more effective ways to treat people with very rare childhood cancers.
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April 14, 2026: Molecular Targeted Therapies Reveal Glioma Cell Plasticity Linked to Immune Evasion in BRAF-Mutant Brain Tumors
This webinar discusses cancer models in oncology: why we need new models, what can be achieved with these models, and how National Institutes of Health initiatives are helping address critical gaps in cancer model development. Recent study findings on therapy resistance in BRAF-mutant brain tumors are also presented.
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March and April 2026: CCDI Virtual Symposium Series
We were pleased to convene the CCDI Virtual Symposium Series, following the cancellation of the 2025 CCDI Symposium originally scheduled for last fall. The series featured a diverse group of experts in childhood cancer research, data science, clinical care, and patient advocacy, who shared emerging insights and real-world applications to advance research and improve outcomes for children with cancer.
Access the event presentations:
- April 8, 2026
- The Emerging Genetic Architecture of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in African-American Children
- Illuminating Dark Antigens for Childhood Cancer Immunotherapy
- April 7, 2026
- Strategies for Follow Up and Potential Interventions for Patients with Pathological or Likely Pathological Germline Variants
- Genomic and Epigenomic Characterization of Childhood Cancer: Clinical Trials and New Drug Discovery and Development– Academic and Industry Perspectives
- Abstract Awards and Lightning Oral Presentations
- April 2, 2026
- Developing a Clinical Methylation Classifier for Pediatric Brain Tumors and Sarcomas
- CCDI Pediatric Cancer Diagnosis Ontology
- March 18, 2026
- Application of DNA Methylation Analysis to the Classification of Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Opportunities to Expand Patient/Family Engagement in the Genomic Characterization of Pediatric Malignancies
- March 12, 2026
- History of CCDI: From Ad Hoc Working Group to 2026
- Molecular Characterization Initiative: Identification and Implementation of a Standardized Genomic Characterization of Childhood Cancers
- Molecular Characterization Initiative: The Genomic Landscape of Pediatric Brain Tumors and Implications for Future Research
March 10, 2026: Kids Aren’t Small Adults – Building Intentional AI for Pediatric Brain Tumors
AI and computational imaging can inform better, more personalized treatments for kids with brain cancer. This webinar explores how MRI images can offer extra clues about a child’s diagnosis and prognosis, discusses what it would take to build reliable and high-quality MRI data sets for children with brain cancer, expands on how the first unified, community-driven pediatric brain tumor image informatics (PBTi2) toolkit aims to improve scan organization, facilitate more in-depth annotations, and help researchers better understand how pediatric brain tumors behave.
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February 19, 2026: Measuring Quality and Experience of Advanced Childhood Cancer Care
This webinar focuses on how patient-report outcomes (PROs) data can drive change across child, adolescent, and young adult cancer care. It discusses the rationale for amplifying patient and caregiver voices in an effort to improve cancer care; spotlights novel, patient-centered approaches to measuring quality and experience of care for children with advanced cancer; and explores how health systems can turn PRO data into actionable insights that improve care and overall outcomes.
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January 16, 2026: AI-Driven Multimodal Data Integration & Analysis to Improve Pediatric Cancer Diagnosis
This webinar presents an overview of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles population, the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and key accomplishments from the prior CCDI P30 supplement award. It also explores advances in methylation sequencing of pediatric central nervous system tumors, whole-slide imaging for pediatric solid tumors, and AI-driven multimodal analysis with integrated reporting.
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