Origins and Drivers of Medulloblastoma
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, yet its origins and molecular drivers remain incompletely understood. Current classification systems and treatment strategies do not fully capture the heterogeneity of the disease, limiting precision medicine approaches. Despite advances in genomics, key regulatory mechanisms such as alternative splicing and epigenetic control are underexplored.
Our Discoveries
Our lab is uncovering the fundamental biological processes that initiate and sustain medulloblastoma growth. These insights have led to the following paradigm-shifting discoveries:
Group 3/4 medulloblastomas arise from defects in stem and progenitor cells unique to the primitive human cerebellum
Our research revealed that Group 3 and Group 4 medulloblastomas originate from specific defects in stem and progenitor cells of the primitive human cerebellum.
CD271 marks a stem-like population in SHH medulloblastoma
We identified CD271 as a marker of a stem-like, population in SHH medulloblastoma.
OTX2 regulates alternative splicing in medulloblastoma
We discovered that OTX2, a known oncogene, regulates alternative splicing programs that drive tumor progression (Nat Cell Biol. 2024 Aug) in the most aggressive medulloblastomas.
Join us in transforming the future of pediatric brain cancer care.
