• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Monday, September 1, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News

Scientists find three subgroups in a children’s brain cancer, identify druggable targets

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
December 12, 2016
in Science News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

(TORONTO, Canada – Dec. 12, 2016) – Multi-institutional researchers investigating an incurable brain cancer in children have discovered three distinct subgroups of disease and identified promising drugs to target each type.

The research findings are published online today and depicted on the cover of Cancer Cell. Co-principal investigator Dr. Daniel De Carvalho, Scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, says being able to segregate and classify specific subgroups opens the door to providing precision medicine for children who have a highly malignant, non-inherited type of brain cancer called atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumours (ATRTs).

"Now we have the ability to match the patient to new drugs using this subgroup classification," he says. The next step will be moving into clinical trials to determine if the tumour targets will respond to the drugs, which are already either approved for use or being tested in clinical trials to treat other types of cancer.

Dr. De Carvalho holds the Canada Research Chair in Cancer Epigenetics and Epigenetic Therapy and is an Assistant Professor in Cancer Epigenetics, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto. In Toronto, the team was co-led by Drs. De Carvalho, James Rutka and Annie Huang, Hospital for Sick Children; and in Montreal, by Nada Jabado, McGill University.

The researchers integrated the analysis of 191 tumour samples provided by international collaborators and 10 cell lines to define the genomic and epigenomic landscape of ATRTs.

The team also discovered that one of the subgroups exhibits distinct sensitivity to two particular drugs that inhibit cell signalling.

Dr. De Carvalho, an epigeneticist whose research focuses on variants in acquired mutations outside the genes, says the analysis showed the subgroups are defined by epigenetic changes and that the cancer is driven by a mutation in epigenetic enzymes.

"The mutation is random, but once it occurs we now know what caused it and, depending on where it occurs, the targets downstream are different."

He says the next research focus will be to learn more about the mechanism of how these subgroups are sensitive to the drugs. "By understanding the mechanism, we can develop new drugs, new targets and new approaches to treatment."

###

The research was funded by Genome Canada; b.r.a.i.n.child; Mitchell Duckman, Tal Doron, and Suri Boon foundations; C17 Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research Network; Coast to Coast against Cancer Foundation; Kids with Cancer Society; McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre; the Princess Margaret Genomics Centre; the Centre for Applied Genomics, Toronto, and The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

About Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network

The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre has achieved an international reputation as a global leader in the fight against cancer and delivering personalized cancer medicine. The Princess Margaret, one of the top five international cancer research centres, is a member of the University Health Network, which also includes Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Michener Institute for Education; all affiliated with the University of Toronto. For more information, go to http://www.theprincessmargaret.ca or http://www.uhn.ca .

Media Contact

Jane Finlayson
[email protected]
416-946-2846
@UHN_News

http://www.uhn.on.ca/

############

Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag

Share12Tweet7Share2ShareShareShare1

Related Posts

Assessing Home Aerobics for Pre-Frail Seniors

September 1, 2025

Impact of Hysteroscopic Metroplasty on Reproductive Outcomes

September 1, 2025

Sex-Based Gene Expression Influences Monogamous Bonding

September 1, 2025

Diabetes Prevalence Linked to Low Back Pain: Analysis

September 1, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    153 shares
    Share 61 Tweet 38
  • Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    143 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    116 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Do people and monkeys see colors the same way?

    112 shares
    Share 45 Tweet 28

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Assessing Home Aerobics for Pre-Frail Seniors

Impact of Hysteroscopic Metroplasty on Reproductive Outcomes

Sex-Based Gene Expression Influences Monogamous Bonding

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.