Brain Tumor Clinical Trials

• Documented informed consent of the participant and/or legally authorized representative.

‣ Assent, when appropriate, will be obtained per institutional guidelines

• Agreement to allow the use of archival tissue from diagnostic tumor biopsies

• Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) \>= 60% except for loss of mobility due to disease involvement; e.g., confinement to a wheelchair due to spinal cord compression

• Life expectancy \> 4 weeks

• Participant has a prior histologically-confirmed malignant brain neoplasm and has progressed after prior conventional therapy

• Radiographic evidence of progression/recurrence of the measurable disease more than 12 weeks after the end of the initial conventional therapy (including initial radiation therapy)

• City of Hope (COH) clinical pathology confirms IL13Ralpha2+ tumor expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) at the initial tumor presentation or recurrent disease (H-score \>= 50)

• If the participant has a shunt, it must be programmable and the participant must be able to tolerate the shunt being switched off for at least 2 consecutive days

• Platelets \>= 50,000/mm\^3 (performed within 6 weeks of signing the main informed consent)

• Total bilirubin =\< 2 X upper limit of normal (ULN) (unless has Gilbert's disease) (performed within 6 weeks of signing the main informed consent)

• Aspartate transaminase (AST) =\< 2 x ULN (performed within 6 weeks of signing the main informed consent)

• Alanine transferase (ALT) =\< 2 x ULN (performed within 6 weeks of signing the main informed consent)

• Creatinine clearance of \>= 75mL/min/1.73m\^2 (performed within 6 weeks of signing the main informed consent)

• Seronegative for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antigen (Ag)/antibody (Ab) combo, hepatitis C virus (HCV)\* and active HBV (surface antigen negative) (performed within 6 weeks of signing the main informed consent)

‣ If positive, hepatitis C ribonucleic acid (RNA) quantitation must be performed

• Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP): Negative urine or serum pregnancy test. If the urine test is positive or cannot be confirmed as negative, a serum pregnancy test will be required (to be performed within 6 weeks of signing the main informed consent)

• Agreement by females and males of childbearing potential\* to use an effective method of birth control or abstain from heterosexual activity for the course of the study through at least 6 months after the last dose of protocol therapy.

‣ Childbearing potential defined as not being surgically sterilized (males and females) or have not been free, once initiated, from menses for \> 1 year (females only)

• ELIGIBILITY TO PROCEED WITH PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR COLLECTION (PBMC) COLLECTION

• Research participant must not require more than 0.1mg/kg/day total dose (0.03mg/kg/dose three times per day, max of 6mg/day) of Dexamethasone on the day of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) collection

• Research participant must have appropriate venous access

• At least 2 weeks must have elapsed since the research participant received his/her last dose of prior targeted agents, chemotherapy or radiation

• Note: If a research participant weighs less than 50kgs, the study team should provide the Donor Apheresis Center (DAC) with the participant's current weight so that institutional guidelines can be followed

• ELIGIBILITY TO PROCEED WITH INDWELLING CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) CATHETER PLACEMENT

• Serum creatinine \< 1.6 mg/dL

• White blood cell (WBC) \>= 2,000/dL

• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1,000

• Platelets \> 50,000/dL

• International normalized ratio =\< 1.3

• Bilirubin \< 1.5 mg/dL

• Alanine transferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) \< 2 x upper limits of normal

• KPS \>= 60% except for loss of mobility due to disease involvement; e.g., confinement to a wheelchair due to spinal cord compression

• Second-line radiation therapy (post-leukapheresis) completed at least 4 weeks prior to surgical resection or biopsy/catheter placement

• ELIGIBILITY TO PROCEED WITH LYMPHODEPLETION

• Pulmonary: Research participant does not require supplemental oxygen to keep saturation greater than 95% and/or does not have presence of any radiographic abnormalities on chest x-ray that are progressive

• Cardiac: Research participant does not require pressor support and/or does not have symptomatic cardiac arrhythmias

• Active infection: Research participant does not have a fever exceeding 38.5 degree celsius; there is an absence of positive blood cultures for bacteria, fungus, or virus within 48-hours prior to CAR T cell infusion and/or there aren't any indications of meningitis

• Hepatic: Research participant serum total bilirubin or transaminases does not exceed 2 x normal limit

• Renal: Research participant serum creatinine \< 1.8 mg/dL

• Neurologic: Research participant does not have uncontrolled seizure activity following surgery prior to starting lymphodepletion

• ELIGIBILITY TO PROCEED WITH EACH CAR T CELL INFUSION

• Research participant has a released cryopreserved T cell product

• Research participant does not require supplemental oxygen to keep saturation greater than 95% and/or does not have presence of any radiographic abnormalities on chest x-ray that are progressive

• Research participant does not require pressor support and/or does not have symptomatic cardiac arrhythmias

• Research participant does not have a fever exceeding 38.5 degree celsius; there is an absence of positive blood cultures for bacteria, fungus, or virus within 48-hours prior to T cell infusion and/or there aren't any indications of meningitis

• Research participant serum total bilirubin or transaminases does not exceed 2 x normal limit

• Research participant serum creatinine \< 1.8 mg/dL

• Research participant does not have uncontrolled seizure activity

• Research participant platelet count must be \>= 50,000. However, if platelet level is between 25,000-49,000, then T-cell infusion may proceed after platelet transfusion is given and the post transfusion platelet count is \>= 50,000

• Research participants must not require more than 0.1mg/kg/day total dose (0.03mg/kg/dose three times per day, max of 6mg/day) of dexamethasone during CAR T cell therapy

• Wash-out requirements:

‣ At least 6 weeks since the completion of a nitrosourea-containing chemotherapy regimen;

⁃ At least 23 days since the completion of temozolomide and/or 4 weeks for any other non-nitrosourea-containing cytotoxic chemotherapy regimen. If a patient's most recent treatment was with a targeted agent only, and s/he has recovered from any toxicity of this targeted agent, then a waiting period of only 2 weeks is needed from the last dose

⁃ For bevacizumab the wash out period of at least 4 weeks is required before starting study treatment