In November 2024, our daughter Ghislaine Bros (25) was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, a grade II diffuse astrocytoma to be precise. This is the most common brain tumor among young adults (18 to 40 years old). It is a slow-growing cancer that unfortunately cannot (yet) be completely removed/destroyed and can mutate into a fast-growing type over time. The current protocol includes surgery, slowing the progression (with the new drug Vorasidenib), and, when surgery is no longer possible, chemotherapy and radiation.

Promising results of immunotherapy for brain cancer in clinical trials
During our search for information about treatment methods, we came across a new type of therapy called immunotherapy: more specifically, CAR-T cell therapy. This is a treatment method in which (the patient's own) immune cells are trained and modified to recognize and destroy cancer cells. The goal is to have the immune system respond specifically to tumor cells, while sparing healthy cells as much as possible. In blood cancers, this has led to complete recovery in some patients, a breakthrough in cancer research. While this is new for brain cancer, promising results have been achieved in initial clinical trials. By supporting research to apply this therapy to brain cancer, we hope to pave the way to completely destroy cancer cells. Brain cancer, and other cancers as well, must be cured in the future!

Next-Generation Immunotherapy for Brain Tumors
In Europe, Niels Bovenschen's laboratory at Utrecht University Medical Center (UMCU) has been working on immunotherapy for years. In 2021, he and his team discovered a protein that inhibits the immune system, allowing the cancer to protect itself and become invisible to immune cells. They found this in medulloblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor that primarily occurs in children. To conduct further research into next-generation immunotherapy, the lab needs €100,000 annually. Their goal is to develop a therapy that is easier to use, more affordable, and safer than current CAR-T cell therapy. In one of their studies, they are using so-called Natural Killer (NK) cells. Like T cells, these are immune cells that the body uses to eliminate diseased cells, but NK cells cause fewer side effects such as inflammatory reactions. Through various modifications, they aim to train these effective and safe cells to recognize and eliminate brain cancer cells. He calls this Next-Generation Immunotherapy for Brain Tumors.

Golfers Against Brain cancer

In 2011, we founded the online golf brand Redline Golf, a fantastic company that has since introduced tens of thousands of golfers. This year and in the coming years, we will be committed to raising money for this research through the golf community worldwide. We will do this through the sale of golf equipment, organizing golf tournaments, and innovative initiatives. We call this project GAB: Golfers Against Brain Cancer.

All proceeds and donations to GAB go directly to the research of Professor Niels Bovenschen. Nothing is tied up in overhead costs.

Thanks in advance!
Yolanda Bros & David Verburg

PS. Want to organize a golf tournament yourself and raise money for this cause? Then join team GAB. Redline Golf sponsors the prize table and provides golf products for sale on the day.