Cancer Biology and Neural Tumors Program
Thanks to the addition of faculty, the Cancer Biology and Neural Tumors Program has expanded its focus to investigate a wide range of diseases. Diseases under investigation include brain tumors (glioma), neurofibromatosis (neurofibroma and MPNST), RASopathies, rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, squamous cell carcinoma and breast cancer.
One of the strengths of the group is our focus on the intersection between developmental biology and tumorigenesis, facilitated by location at a premier children’s hospital. Members of our group use genomic strategies to identify new oncogenes, tumor suppressors and signaling pathways that identify novel therapeutic targets, study metabolic links to cancer and use Phase 1 and Phase 2 compounds, including viral therapies, for testing in novel preclinical models.
We are also home to a P50 grant from the National Institutes of Health titled “Cincinnati Center for Neurofibromatosis Research,” which brings together scientists and clinicians to identify new pathways relevant to, and test therapies for, sarcoma (MPNST) in NF1.
Faculty
Nancy Ratner, PhD
Biplab Dasgupta, PhD
Ronald Waclaw, PhD
Susanne Wells, PhD
Jianqiang Wu, MD
