Spring 2025
By Casey Repasy
At 7 and a half years old, Sajni Chakrabarti was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain cancer, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), which affects about 300 children annually and currently has no cure. Nineteen months later, Sajni passed away—10 months beyond her initial prognosis—largely due to her bravery and courage in undergoing experimental treatments.
One of these treatments was the first personalized immunotherapy for DIPG at Dana-Farber, led by Susan Chi, MD, clinical director of pediatric neuro-oncology, and Mariella Filbin, MD, PhD, research co-director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Program. While the treatment did not prove successful for Sajni, variations of it are now advancing through clinical trials, with Sajni’s experience serving as a catalyst for this critical research.
“Children’s cancer is a smaller market for drug development, and only receives a tiny fraction of federal grants. To address childhood brain tumors, it’s vital to give these flexible funds.”
Prabal Chakrabarti
Since her passing, Sajni’s parents, Prabal Chakrabarti and Vanessa Ruget, have raised more than $300,000 to support Filbin’s pediatric brain cancer research. They have also directed donations to the arts program in Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic, which brought countless smiles to Sajni and her family during her treatment.
Sajni’s father reflects on the importance of funding childhood cancer research, saying, “Children’s cancer is a smaller market for drug development, and only receives a tiny fraction of federal grants. To address childhood brain tumors, it’s vital to give these flexible funds to efforts like the Sajni Fund, to light a flare a company can then follow with promise,” adding, “This is about saving kids’ lives.”