Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma

disease
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Also known as diffuse midline gliomaDIPGinfiltrative brainstem glioma

Summary

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (MONDO:0006033) is a cancer with 3 cohort genes (3 CIViC-evidence somatic drivers; 3 ClinVar predisposition records) and 108 clinical trials. Top therapeutic interventions include ribociclib, valproic acid, and atovaquone.

At a glance

  • Classification: Cancer
  • Prevalence: <1 / 1 000 000 (Netherlands) [Orphanet-validated]
  • Cohort genes: 3
  • ClinVar variants: 3
  • Clinical trials: 108

Clinical features

Epidemiology

Prevalence records

1 prevalence record(s), Orphanet:

TypeClassValueGeographyValidation
Annual incidence<1 / 1 000 0000.056NetherlandsValidated

Identifiers

Disease identifiers

FieldValue
Canonical namediffuse intrinsic pontine glioma
Mondo IDMONDO:0006033
EFOEFO:1000026
MeSHD000080443
Orphanet497188
NCITC94764
UMLSC2986658
MedGen458884
GARD0013075
Anatomy (UBERON)UBERON:0000988
Is cancer (heuristic)yes

Also known as: diffuse midline glioma · DIPG · infiltrative brainstem glioma

Data availability: 3 ClinVar variants · 46 cell lines.

Disease family

An umbrella term covering 1 Mondo subtype.

Classification path: neoplastic disease or syndromeneoplasmcancernervous system cancercentral nervous system cancerbrain cancerinfratentorial cancer › brainstem cancer › brain stem gliomachildhood brain stem gliomadiffuse intrinsic pontine glioma

Related subtypes (1): childhood brainstem astrocytoma

Subtypes (1): diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27-altered

Genetics & variants

GWAS landscape

No GWAS associations recorded — common-variant (GWAS) studies don’t cover this disease (typical for Mendelian / rare diseases). See the curated gene cohort and Mendelian overlap below.

Variant details and genetic-evidence tiers

ClinVar germline variants

3 retrieved; paginated sample, class counts are floors:

1 conflicting classifications of pathogenicity, 1 pathogenic/likely pathogenic, 1 pathogenic

ClinVarVariant (HGVS)GeneClassificationReview
51653NM_000059.4(BRCA2):c.4478_4481del (p.Glu1493fs)BRCA2Pathogenicreviewed by expert panel
30535NM_032043.3(BRIP1):c.1045G>C (p.Ala349Pro)BRIP1Pathogenic/Likely pathogeniccriteria provided, multiple submitters, no conflicts
220148NM_001042492.3(NF1):c.1888G>A (p.Val630Ile)NF1Conflicting classifications of pathogenicitycriteria provided, conflicting classifications

Genes & proteins

Mendelian disease overlap and somatic drivers

GenCC: 0 · Orphanet: 23 · OMIM-shared: 0 · Dual-evidence (GWAS+Mendelian): 0

Somatic driver evidence (intOGen + CIViC, cohort fanout)

GeneintOGen roleCancer typesCIViC
BRCA2LoFBLCA,BRCA,CESC,CHOL,HCC,HNSC,LUSC,MBL,OVT,PAAD,PRAD,PROSTATE,RCC,VULVACIViC #7
BRIP1CIViC #15955
NF1LoFACC,ALL,AML,ANGS,BLCA,BRCA,CCRCC,CHOL,CLLSLL,COADREAD,GB,GBM,GIST,HCC,HNSC,LGGNOS,LMS,LUAD,LUNG,LUSC,MEL,NBL,NSCLC,OVT,PAST,PGNG,PLMESO,RMS,SKCM,SOFT_TISSUE,STAD,THYM,UCSCIViC #3867

Orphanet rare-disease linkage (cohort genes)

GeneOrphanet IDRare disease
BRCA2Orphanet:1331Familial prostate cancer
BRCA2Orphanet:1333Familial pancreatic carcinoma
BRCA2Orphanet:145Hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer syndrome
BRCA2Orphanet:178Chordoma
BRCA2Orphanet:227535Hereditary breast cancer
BRCA2Orphanet:319462Inherited cancer-predisposing syndrome due to biallelic BRCA2 mutations
BRCA2Orphanet:440437Familial colorectal cancer Type X
BRCA2Orphanet:654Nephroblastoma
BRCA2Orphanet:667662Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma
BRCA2Orphanet:694963Inflammatory breast cancer
BRCA2Orphanet:70567Cholangiocarcinoma
BRCA2Orphanet:84Fanconi anemia
BRIP1Orphanet:145Hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer syndrome
BRIP1Orphanet:84Fanconi anemia
NF1Orphanet:13947417q11.2 microduplication syndrome
NF1Orphanet:29072Hereditary pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma
NF1Orphanet:293199Pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma
NF1Orphanet:363700Neurofibromatosis type 1 due to NF1 mutation or intragenic deletion
NF1Orphanet:638Neurofibromatosis-Noonan syndrome
NF1Orphanet:86834Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia
NF1Orphanet:9768517q11 microdeletion syndrome
NF1Orphanet:99756Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
NF1Orphanet:99757Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma

Cohort genes → proteins

3 cohort genes, 3 distinct canonical proteins.

Evidence partition

SubsetGenes
multi_evidence3

Cohort genes (full)

SymbolHGNCEnsemblUniProtNameEvidence
BRCA2HGNC:1101ENSG00000139618P51587Breast cancer type 2 susceptibility proteinclinvar
BRIP1HGNC:20473ENSG00000136492Q9BX63Fanconi anemia group J proteinclinvar
NF1HGNC:7765ENSG00000196712P21359Neurofibrominclinvar

Cohort function summary

Lead sentence per gene, UniProt-curated.

SymbolProtein nameFunction (lead sentence)
BRCA2Breast cancer type 2 susceptibility proteinInvolved in double-strand break repair and/or homologous recombination.
BRIP1Fanconi anemia group J proteinDNA-dependent ATPase and 5’-3’ DNA helicase required for the maintenance of chromosomal stability.
NF1NeurofibrominStimulates the GTPase activity of Ras.

Protein-family classification

Druggable: 1 · Difficult: 0 · Unknown: 2 · Druggable fraction: 0.33

Family distribution

Cohort families vs a genome-wide background (hypergeometric, BH-FDR; fold = observed/expected). Counts kept; sorted by enrichment, so the catch-all Other/Unknown bucket no longer leads.

FamilyGenesFoldFDR
Enzyme (other)14.0×0.460
Other/Unknown21.2×0.587

Per-gene assignment

SymbolFamilyDruggable?ECInterPro (top 3)
BRCA2Other/UnknownnoBRCA2_repeat, NA-bd_OB-fold, BRCA2_OB_1
BRIP1Enzyme (other)yes3.6.4.12Helicase-like_DEXD_c2, ATP-dep_Helicase_C, RAD3-like_helicase_DEAD
NF1Other/UnknownnoCRAL-TRIO_dom, RasGAP_dom, Rho_GTPase_activation_prot

Expression context

Cohort genes with no expression data: 0.

3 cohort genes are a single-cell marker in ≥1 SCXA experiment.

Breadth distribution (Bgee present_calls)

BucketGenes
narrow (1-5 tissues)0
moderate (6-20)0
broad (>20)3
unknown0

Top tissues across cohort

TissueCohort genes
male germ line stem cell (sensu Vertebrata) in testis2
ventricular zone2
secondary oocyte1
primordial germ cell in gonad1
adrenal tissue1
calcaneal tendon1
colonic epithelium1

Per-gene tissue summary (top 30)

SymbolBgee breadthFANTOM5 breadthSCXATop tissues
BRCA2184ubiquitousmarkermale germ line stem cell (sensu Vertebrata) in testis, secondary oocyte, ventricular zone
BRIP1181ubiquitousmarkerventricular zone, primordial germ cell in gonad, male germ line stem cell (sensu Vertebrata) in testis
NF1283ubiquitousmarkercolonic epithelium, calcaneal tendon, adrenal tissue

Protein interactions among cohort

Intra-cohort edges: 1.

Hub genes (top 10 by interactor count)

SymbolInteractor count
NF15,540
BRCA24,839
BRIP12,272

Intra-cohort edges

ABSources
BRCA2BRIP1string_interaction

Structural data

PDB: 3 · AlphaFold-only: 0 · No structure: 0

Cohort genes with PDB structures (top 30)

SymbolUniProtPDB entries
NF1P2135926
BRCA2P5158714
BRIP1Q9BX633

Function

Pathway analysis

Distinct Reactome pathways touched by cohort: 40. Enrichment computed across 3 evidence-associated genes (3 with Reactome annotation).

Pathways by enrichment

Over-representation of cohort genes vs the genome-wide background (hypergeometric test, Benjamini-Hochberg FDR; fold = observed/expected over 3 annotated cohort genes). Counts and members are kept as ground-truth; sorted by enrichment.

PathwayCohort genesFoldFDRSample cohort genes
Impaired BRCA2 binding to PALB22304.5×1e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Defective homologous recombination repair (HRR) due to BRCA1 loss of function2282.0×1e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Defective HDR through Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) due to PALB2 loss of BRCA1 binding function2282.0×1e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Defective HDR through Homologous Recombination Repair (HRR) due to PALB2 loss of BRCA2/RAD51/RAD51C binding function2282.0×1e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Resolution of D-loop Structures through Synthesis-Dependent Strand Annealing (SDSA)2262.5×1e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Homologous DNA Pairing and Strand Exchange2253.8×1e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Impaired BRCA2 binding to RAD512205.8×2e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Resolution of D-loop Structures through Holliday Junction Intermediates2200.3×2e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Presynaptic phase of homologous DNA pairing and strand exchange2181.3×2e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
HDR through Homologous Recombination (HRR)2126.9×3e-04BRCA2, BRIP1
Impaired BRCA2 translocation to the nucleus11268.9×0.003BRCA2
Impaired BRCA2 binding to SEM1 (DSS1)11268.9×0.003BRCA2
RAS signaling downstream of NF1 loss-of-function variants1543.8×0.006NF1
Defective homologous recombination repair (HRR) due to PALB2 loss of function1317.2×0.009BRCA2
HDR through MMEJ (alt-NHEJ)1292.8×0.009BRCA2
Diseases of DNA Double-Strand Break Repair1271.9×0.009BRCA2
Defective homologous recombination repair (HRR) due to BRCA2 loss of function1271.9×0.009BRCA2
Cytosolic iron-sulfur cluster assembly1253.8×0.009BRIP1
Resolution of D-Loop Structures1211.5×0.010BRCA2
Diseases of DNA repair1190.3×0.010BRCA2
Homology Directed Repair1102.9×0.017BRCA2
HDR through Homologous Recombination (HRR) or Single Strand Annealing (SSA)1102.9×0.017BRCA2
HDR through Single Strand Annealing (SSA)197.6×0.017BRIP1
Meiosis195.2×0.017BRCA2
DNA Double-Strand Break Repair182.8×0.019BRCA2
Oncogenic MAPK signaling182.8×0.019NF1
Regulation of RAS by GAPs164.5×0.022NF1
Reproduction163.4×0.022BRCA2
Disease28.7×0.023BRCA2, NF1
MAPK1/MAPK3 signaling143.8×0.030NF1

GO biological processes by enrichment

Over-representation of cohort genes vs the genome-wide background (hypergeometric test, Benjamini-Hochberg FDR; fold = observed/expected over 3 annotated cohort genes). Counts and members are kept as ground-truth; sorted by enrichment.

GO termCohort genesFoldFDRSample cohort genes
nucleotide-excision repair2255.3×0.003BRCA2, BRIP1
positive regulation of mast cell apoptotic process15617.3×0.004NF1
regulation of glial cell differentiation15617.3×0.004NF1
observational learning15617.3×0.004NF1
gamma-aminobutyric acid secretion, neurotransmission12808.7×0.004NF1
mitotic recombination-dependent replication fork processing12808.7×0.004BRCA2
meiotic DNA double-strand break processing involved in reciprocal meiotic recombination11872.4×0.004BRIP1
Schwann cell proliferation11872.4×0.004NF1
forebrain astrocyte development11872.4×0.004NF1
Schwann cell migration11872.4×0.004NF1
glutamate secretion, neurotransmission11872.4×0.004NF1
negative regulation of mast cell proliferation11872.4×0.004NF1
negative regulation of Schwann cell migration11872.4×0.004NF1
vascular associated smooth muscle cell migration11872.4×0.004NF1
double-strand break repair2135.4×0.004BRCA2, BRIP1
brain development253.0×0.004BRCA2, NF1
mast cell apoptotic process11404.3×0.005NF1
negative regulation of Rac protein signal transduction11404.3×0.005NF1
myeloid leukocyte migration11404.3×0.005NF1
spermatogonial cell division11123.5×0.005BRIP1
negative regulation of mammary gland epithelial cell proliferation11123.5×0.005BRCA2
mast cell proliferation11123.5×0.005NF1
amygdala development1936.2×0.006NF1
regulation of blood vessel endothelial cell migration1936.2×0.006NF1
vascular associated smooth muscle cell proliferation1936.2×0.006NF1
negative regulation of Schwann cell proliferation1802.5×0.006NF1
negative regulation of neurotransmitter secretion1802.5×0.006NF1
hair follicle maturation1702.2×0.007NF1
establishment of protein localization to telomere1702.2×0.007BRCA2
chiasma assembly1624.1×0.007BRIP1

Therapeutics

Drugs indicated for this disease

0 approved, 2 in late-stage (phase 3) trials. Disease-direct ChEMBL indications, not inferred from the associated-gene cohort below.

DrugDevelopment status
NimotuzumabPhase 3 (in late-stage trials)
TemozolomidePhase 3 (in late-stage trials)

Earlier-phase candidates (phase 2, investigational — efficacy not yet established): Bevacizumab, Dasatinib Anhydrous, Erlotinib, Everolimus, PEGINTERFERON ALFA-2A, Panobinostat, Vinorelbine.

Drug target analysis

Approved (phase 4): 0 · Phase ≥3: 0 · Phased (≥1): 0 · Undrugged: 3

Druggability breadth: 0 of 3 evidence-associated genes (0%) have a ChEMBL target (buckets above are over the deeply-mined display cohort).

Top cohort targets by molecule count

SymbolMoleculesMax phase
BRCA200
BRIP100
NF100

Bioactivity and enzyme data

Enzyme cohort genes (≥1 EC): 1.

Cohort enzymes (BRENDA EC)

SymbolEC numbersNames
BRIP13.6.4.12DNA helicase

Pharmacogenomics

Cohort genes with a PharmGKB record: 3; with CPIC/DPWG dosing guidelines: 0.

No cohort gene has a CPIC/DPWG genotype-guided dosing guideline (PharmGKB).

Drug repurposing candidates

0 approved/phased drugs hit cohort targets but don’t yet appear in disease-level clinical trials. Target-inhibition rationale is strongest for cancer driver genes; a bioactivity hit is a screening signal, not a treatment claim.

Druggability pyramid

Cohort genes binned by druggability tier (high → low):

TierDefinitionGenesSymbols
AApproved (phase 4 drug)0
BPhased (≥1) drug, not yet approved0
CDruggable family + PDB, no drug1BRIP1
DDruggable family + AlphaFold only, no drug0
EDifficult family or no structure, no drug2BRCA2, NF1

Undrugged target profiles

3 cohort genes are undrugged. Ranked by ‘starting-point quality’ (assay depth + drugged-partner adjacency).

SymbolChEMBL assaysDrugged partners (top 3)
BRCA20
BRIP10
NF10

Clinical trials & evidence

Clinical trials

Clinical trials: 108.

Phase distribution (across all retrieved trials)

PhaseTrials
PHASE149
PHASE1/PHASE220
PHASE219
Not specified11
EARLY_PHASE16
PHASE33

Top trials by phase / activity

NCTPhaseStatusTitle
NCT05476939PHASE3RECRUITINGBiological Medicine for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Eradication 2.0
NCT03243461PHASE3UNKNOWNInternational Cooperative Phase III Trial of the HIT-HGG Study Group (HIT-HGG-2013)
NCT04532229PHASE3UNKNOWNNimotuzumab in Combined With Chemoradiotherapy to Treat the Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma in Children
NCT03709680PHASE2ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGStudy Of Palbociclib Combined With Chemotherapy In Pediatric Patients With Recurrent/Refractory Solid Tumors
NCT04049669PHASE2ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGPediatric Trial of Indoximod With Chemotherapy and Radiation for Relapsed Brain Tumors or Newly Diagnosed DIPG
NCT04250064PHASE2RECRUITINGA Study of Low Dose Bevacizumab With Conventional Radiotherapy Alone in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
NCT04758533PHASE1/PHASE2ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGClinical Trial to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of AloCELYVIR With Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in Combination With Radiotherapy or Medulloblastoma in Monotherapy
NCT04870944PHASE1/PHASE2RECRUITINGCBL0137 for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors, Including CNS Tumors and Lymphoma
NCT04911621PHASE1/PHASE2ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGAdjuvant Dendritic Cell Immunotherapy for Pediatric Patients With High-grade Glioma or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
NCT05009992PHASE2RECRUITINGCombination Therapy for the Treatment of Diffuse Midline Gliomas
NCT05096481PHASE2RECRUITINGPEP-CMV Vaccine Targeting CMV Antigen to Treat Newly Diagnosed Pediatric HGG and DIPG and Recurrent Medulloblastoma
NCT05278208PHASE1/PHASE2RECRUITINGLutathera for Treatment of Recurrent or Progressive High-Grade CNS Tumors
NCT05843253PHASE2RECRUITINGStudy of Ribociclib and Everolimus in HGG and DIPG or Ribociclib and Temozolomide in DHG, H3G34-mutant
NCT05956821PHASE1/PHASE2RECRUITINGTreatment of Relapsed/Refractory Intracranial Glioma in Patients Under 22 Years of Age
NCT06161974PHASE2RECRUITINGStudy of Olutasidenib and Temozolomide in HGG
NCT06465199PHASE1/PHASE2RECRUITINGEflornithine (DFMO) and AMXT 1501 for Neuroblastoma, CNS Tumors, and Sarcomas
NCT06521567PHASE1/PHASE2ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGA Study of Cobolimab Plus Dostarlimab in Pediatric and Young Adult Participants With Cancer
NCT06607692PHASE1/PHASE2RECRUITINGStudy in Children and Adolescents of 177Lu-DOTATATE (Lutathera®) Combined With the PARP Inhibitor Olaparib for the Treatment of Recurrent or Relapsed Solid Tumours Expressing Somatostatin Receptor (SSTR) (LuPARPed).
NCT06639607PHASE1/PHASE2NOT_YET_RECRUITINGPEP-CMV + Nivolumab for Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Midline Glioma/High-grade Glioma and Recurrent Diffuse Midline Glioma/High-grade Glioma, Medulloblastoma, and Ependymoma
NCT06838676PHASE2RECRUITINGACT001 for the Treatment of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas and H3K27-altered High Grade Gliomas
NCT07206849PHASE2NOT_YET_RECRUITINGStudy of Tovorafenib in High-Grade Glioma and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)
NCT07501156PHASE1/PHASE2RECRUITINGH3K27M-specific Immune Effector Cells Targeting DMG/DIPG
NCT07589257PHASE2RECRUITINGA Study of VRT106 in Combination With Radiotherapy in Adult Patients With Diffuse Midline Glioma / Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
NCT00036569PHASE2COMPLETEDA Phase II Study of Pegylated Interferon Alfa 2b (PEG-Intron(Trademark)) in Children With Diffuse Pontine Gliomas
NCT00879437PHASE2COMPLETEDValproic Acid, Radiation, and Bevacizumab in Children With High Grade Gliomas or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
NCT01182350PHASE2TERMINATEDMolecularly Determined Treatment of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas (DIPG)
NCT01189266PHASE1/PHASE2COMPLETEDVorinostat and Radiation Therapy Followed by Maintenance Therapy With Vorinostat in Treating Younger Patients With Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
NCT01837862PHASE1/PHASE2COMPLETEDA Phase I Study of Mebendazole for the Treatment of Pediatric Gliomas
NCT01884740PHASE1/PHASE2TERMINATEDIntraarterial Infusion Of Erbitux and Bevacizumab For Relapsed/Refractory Intracranial Glioma In Patients Under 22
NCT01952769PHASE1/PHASE2UNKNOWNAnti PD1 Antibody in Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
NCT02233049PHASE2UNKNOWNBiological Medicine for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Eradication
NCT02525692PHASE2TERMINATEDOral ONC201 in Adult Recurrent Glioblastoma
NCT02607124PHASE1/PHASE2TERMINATEDA Phase I/II Study of Ribociclib,a CDK4/6 Inhibitor, Following Radiation Therapy
NCT02750891PHASE1/PHASE2COMPLETEDA Study of DSP-7888 in Pediatric Patients With Relapsed or Refractory High Grade Gliomas
NCT02758366PHASE2TERMINATEDProlonged Exposure to Doxorubicin in Patients With Glioblastoma Multiforme and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
NCT02960230PHASE1/PHASE2COMPLETEDH3.3K27M Peptide Vaccine With Nivolumab for Children With Newly Diagnosed DIPG and Other Gliomas
NCT03330197PHASE1/PHASE2TERMINATEDA Study of Ad-RTS-hIL-12 + Veledimex in Pediatric Subjects With Brain Tumors Including DIPG
NCT03566199PHASE1/PHASE2COMPLETEDMTX110 by Convection-Enhanced Delivery in Treating Participants With Newly-Diagnosed Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
NCT03620032PHASE2UNKNOWNStudy of Re-irradiation at Relapse Versus RT and Multiple Elective rt Courses
NCT03632317PHASE2WITHDRAWNA Study of Panobinostat in Combination With Everolimus for Children and Young Adults With Gliomas

Drugs tested across these trials (top 30)

MoleculeMax phaseTrials referencing
RIBOCICLIB42
VALPROIC ACID42
ATOVAQUONE41
CEMIPLIMAB41
CRIZOTINIB41
DOSTARLIMAB41
EFLORNITHINE41
LAROTRECTINIB41
LOMUSTINE41
LORLATINIB41
LUTETIUM OXODOTREOTIDE LU-17741
MEBENDAZOLE41
MELPHALAN HYDROCHLORIDE41
OLUTASIDENIB41
PANOBINOSTAT41
TEMOZOLOMIDE41
TOVORAFENIB41
VANDETANIB41
VORINOSTAT41
DORDAVIPRONE34
BALSTILIMAB31
BECOTATUG VEDOTIN31
CILENGITIDE31
CRENOLANIB31
DISUFENTON SODIUM31
MARIZOMIB31
NIMOTUZUMAB31
OMBIPEPIMUT-S31
SAVOLITINIB31
INDOXIMOD22