Duke University received a $6 million grant Wednesday from The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation -- the second from the foundation since it created an institute at Duke in 2003 dedicated to researching brain tumors that afflict children.

"We're absolutely delighted to accept the renewal and extension of our work here," Dr. Darell Bigner, director of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Institute at Duke, said during a ceremony to accept the grant.

The foundation, based in Asheville, gave Duke an initial $6 million grant five years ago, establishing the institute and providing scientists with the research funds to develop gene-based therapies, vaccines and other treatments. Childhood brain cancer is the second-most prevalent cancer, behind leukemia, among children younger than 19, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is the leading cause of cancer death in children and adolescents; four out of 10 children with brain tumors die within five years of diagnosis.

"Science is moving very fast now, and the technology that's available today simply wasn't around even five years ago," Bigner said in a prepared statement. "We are now able to develop new therapies that not only will be effective but won't damage the nervous systems and brains of these children."

Duke's institute is part of a larger collaborative effort funded by the foundation that includes Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and the University of California, San Francisco.

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation was founded in 1991 by Mike and Dianne Traynor, who were troubled by the struggles of a colleague's stricken child. Among the organization's fund-raisers is a motorcycle ride that has raised $34 million for brain tumor research.

"Children and parents are depending on you," Dianne Traynor told a gathering of scientists Wednesday. "We want to thank you for the work you do every day."

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