Targeting Eya2 to Inhibit c-Myc Driven Medulloblastoma Tumor Progression

Background

Medulloblastoma is a pediatric cancer that quickly grows in the cerebellum. Although, there are many different types of medulloblastoma, patients are uniformly treated with therapies including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. In order to find better treatments with less severe side effects it is important to understand the different types of medulloblastoma so we can tailor the treatment to each type of medulloblastoma.

Project Goal

We are focused on Group 3 c-Myc driven medulloblastoma. Six1 and Eya2 (two proteins which act together in a complex) can control c-Myc levels during development. We will test if Six1 and Eya2, which are both highly expressed in Group 3 medulloblastoma tumors, are controlling c-Myc levels to be turned on in medulloblastoma. These experiments will provide critical information for developing treatment options that could be used to target c-Myc to inhibit tumor growth and/or be used with traditional therapies to treat medulloblastoma. Importantly, since Six1 and Eya2 are embryonic genes that are expressed at low levels after birth, targeting this complex will potentially have high therapeutic value for inhibiting tumor progression while conferring little to no side effects. The development of non-toxic inhibitors is critical to improving quality of life for the many medulloblastoma patients who have long-term consequences to their treatment at such an early stage of life.