Our Research
An estimated 24,000 new diagnoses of primary malignant central nervous system tumors will be made in the United States this year and result in 2.9% of all cancer-related deaths. Gliomas, cancers of the supporting glial cells, will account for >17,000 of these cases. The most aggressive is glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, also known as grade IV astrocytoma), associated with a median survival of only 15-16 months despite maximal surgical resection, radiation treatment, and chemotherapy with the alkylating agent temozolomide. Recently, a rare subset of cancer cells termed cancer stem cells (CSCs) has been identified with enhanced ability to initiate tumors and resistance to common radiation and chemotherapies. Going against traditional dogma, every cancer cell may not be created equal, and specifically targeting and eradicating the CSCs could greatly improve brain tumor therapies.
With the goal of improving survival and quality of life for patients, our research focuses on both advancing the understanding of brain tumor biology and developing therapies via testing in human cancer stem cell models.
We are also developing novel immunotherapies for GBM, identifying targeting ligands using multiple platforms including viral, yeast, and mammalian display platforms, site-specific combination of biological and synthetic chemistry products, and reducing adverse events associated with cancer treatments. Some of our previous work in this arena includes identification of cancer-targeting ligands with defined subcellular trafficking patterns, development of novel peptide-based immunotherapy platforms, and discovering the ability to target neuropathologies via blood-brain barrier disruption rather than disease-associated receptors.
Our work has been featured on the covers of Science Translational Medicine and Neurosurgery, and highlighted in Clinical Cancer Research, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, Radiology, won the Preuss Award for Brain Tumor Research, and invited for many national/international presentations.
Our team at the Brain Tumor / Neuroengineering Research Group has won funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and many other major foundations and groups to continue collaborative work with scientists on UT Austin campus to study cancer stem cell biology, and to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for cancer.
Mission
The goal of the Brain Tumor / Neuroengineering Research Group is the biological and molecular characterization of cancer stem cells (CSCs) toward developing novel therapies specifically targeting the CSC population. We are working toward combining specific anti-CSC therapies with other treatment modalities that destroy the bulk cancer cells to improve initial treatment and prevent recurrence of brain tumors.