Year 2

The goal of our studies is to determine the role of neural stem cells in the development, regeneration and tumor formation in the cerebellum. By understanding the role of stem cells, we hope to learn to use them for repair of neurological damage and to develop more effective treatments for patients with brain tumors.

The aims of our studies are: (1) To identify the cell types generated by cerebellar stem cells during normal development; (2) To determine the capacity of cerebellar stem cells to repair damage caused by radiation or disease; and (3) To determine whether cerebellar stem cells can give rise to the pediatric brain tumor medulloblastoma.

We have made significant progress toward our goals over the last year. In particular, we have identified genetic markers that allow us to trace the fate of cerebellar stem cells during normal development. In addition, we have demonstrated that cerebellar stem cells carrying cancer-causing genes can give rise to medulloblastoma. Importantly, this finding has allowed us to create stem cell-based models of medulloblastoma that can be used to test drugs that may be useful for treating the disease. Our screening efforts over the past year have begun to identify compounds that inhibit the growth of human medulloblastoma tumor cells. Over the next few years, we hope to use this information to develop more effective therapies for children suffering from medulloblastoma.