Home Department: Biology
Mentor: Michelle Monje (Pediatric Neurology)

“Investigating the Activity-Regulated Signaling Mechanisms of Diffuse Hemispheric Glioma, H3 G34-Mutant"

High-grade gliomas are a diverse group of aggressive brain tumors driven by microenvironmental neuronal activity. One subgroup, termed diffuse hemispheric gliomas (DHG), arises from novel cellular origins that currently remain unexplored. Using optogenetics and electron microscopy techniques on patient-derived DHG models, Dr. Kathryn Taylor and Samuel found that neuronal activity similarly drives proliferation in this unique glioma subtype. Follow-up analysis of neuronally-secreted proteins has identified several signaling molecules of interest. This summer, Samuel hopes to pinpoint the key signaling proteins critical to glioma growth, aiming to better understand DHG and neuronal interactions that may uncover therapeutic strategies for these life-threatening cancers.