Delineating molecular mechanisms of metastatic dissemination for medulloblastoma therapy

Dr. Baoli Hu – University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Brain tumors are the number one cause of cancer-related death in children. Although many types of brain tumors occur in children, the most common type of embryonal tumor is called Medulloblastoma. New research has shown that four different types of medulloblastoma occur in children. The deadliest type of medulloblastoma, called Group 3, can travel around the body and form many additional tumors in the same child (metastasis). However, it is still not known how these tumors spread throughout the body or how to stop them. Dr. Hu’s laboratory works on new ways to stop tumors like these from growing and spreading. By studying changes in gene behavior, like over expression or under-expression, which are controlled by what is called epigenetics, his laboratory has found out part of why these tumors spread. Funding from the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation will support a childhood cancer research project to better understand why the Group 3 tumors spread more often than the other types of medulloblastoma and test if medicine used to treat leukemia patients may also work to reduce the spread of the Group 3 medulloblastoma. Ultimately, this may lead to an already available medicine successfully treating deadly metastatic medulloblastoma in children.