Hai-Ri Song, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery/Neurology, New York University School of Medicine
one year, 2016
In spite of dramatic advances in the cure rate for most childhood malignancies, the prognosis for children with brain tumors is exceedingly poor. The urgent need for novel therapy is underscored by the fact that brain tumors are the second most common childhood tumor and the most common childhood brain tumors are gliomas, arising from supporting cells in the brain. Despite advances in research, the prognosis for these types of aggressive pediatric brain tumors remains poor. Thus the development of novel strategies for therapy is the top priority. The development of new and improved therapies for pediatric malignant gliomas is highly dependent on better understanding of its biology. Our studies aim to address the following important questions: How are genes essential in normal brain development hijacked to cause brain cells to grow into a tumor? Can enhanced elimination of the tumor-promoting proteins efficiently block tumor growth? The information obtained from this proposal will significantly increase our understanding of the biology of pediatric malignant gliomas and will help to develop new treatments that ultimately improve outcome of these fatal tumors.