One of the most common brain cancers in children, Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) medulloblastoma, also is one of the more survivable for most kids. Unfortunately, for a subset of patients the cancer resists treatment and relapses with a vengeance to then turn deadly.
Researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center used a powerful new computer-assisted technology called single-cell transcriptomics that measures thousands of individual cells simultaneously to map cell types and molecular cascades that drive the growth of SHH-medulloblastoma. Scientists report they discovered new treatment strategies for the disease that may help patients fight a recurrent cancer.
Scientists used direct genetic manipulation to block genetic and molecular cascades they discovered in SHH-medulloblastoma tumors. The genetic-molecular block stopped the cancer growth and prevented relapse in tumor-forming laboratory mice, according Q. Richard Lu, PhD, a senior study investigator and scientific director of the Brain Tumor Center at Cincinnati Children’s.
AANS Neurosurgeon is the official socioeconomic publication of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and features information and analysis for contemporary neurosurgical practice. Published monthly online, AANS Neurosurgeon focuses on issues related to neurosurgery legislation, the workforce and practice management.
