Childhood ependymomas are devastating tumors with limited treatment options. A subset of these tumors occur in the upper portion of the brain. About 70% of these tumors bear an abnormal protein termed C11orf95-RELA. Our goal is to determine how this abnormal protein causes cancer and use this knowledge to treat these deadly tumors. We have discovered that ependymoma tumor cells with the C11orf95-RELA protein are addicted to the amino acid glutamine.
Chris loves baseball – he has a history of playing for his high school team and is a longtime fan of the San Francisco Giants. However, when he was in high school, Chris began having strange symptoms. Today, Chris is a three-time survivor of glioblastoma.
