Exploiting Metabolic Convergence in Pediatric Leptomeningeal Metastasis
Some childhood brain tumors can spread beyond the original tumor into the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, called cerebrospinal fluid. This process, known as leptomeningeal metastasis, is one of the most serious complications of pediatric brain cancer. Once this spread occurs, treatment options are very limited, and survival is often measured in months. Current therapies, including radiation and chemotherapy, are not specifically designed to target this type of disease and can cause significant long-term side effects in children.
Although we have made progress in understanding and treating primary brain tumors, very little is known about how tumor cells survive and grow within this unique fluid environment. This lack of knowledge has hindered the development of new, more effective treatments.
Our research aims to understand how tumor cells adapt to survive in this challenging environment. By examining these adaptations across multiple types of pediatric brain tumors, we hope to find common weaknesses that could be targeted with new treatments. Ultimately, this work seeks to build a foundation for safer, more effective therapies made specifically for children with this form of cancer spread.
Project Goals
The goal of this project is to understand how childhood brain tumor cells survive after they spread into the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. This environment is very different from the original tumor site and is generally hostile to cell survival, yet cancer cells are able to adapt and continue to grow. We believe that, despite coming from different tumor types, these cells may rely on shared survival strategies once they enter this fluid.
To test this, we will examine samples from children with brain tumors and study how cancer cells behave both while floating in the fluid and after they attach to surrounding tissues. We will then use laboratory models to identify which of these survival mechanisms are essential for the cancer cells to grow and spread.
By identifying common weaknesses that tumor cells rely on in this environment, we aim to discover new treatment targets. These findings could lead to the development of therapies designed specifically to prevent or treat this type of cancer spread, with the potential to improve survival and lessen harmful side effects for children.
