Control of Medulloblastoma through the Regulation of Tumor Debris

Background

Radiation and chemotherapy is the standard for most patients with cancer. The goal is to kill as many of the tumor cells as possible before resistance develops and the tumor stops responding. Our recent work has discovered that the release of the cellular content (cellular debris) of dead tumor cells into the tumor microenvironment provides the necessary factors to stimulate the growth of surviving tumor cells. This means that traditional therapy is a double-edged sword, the very treatment meant to cure cancer is also helping it survive and grow. There are naturally occurring molecules in the body that are meant to prevent cellular debris from sending these signals, called resolvins and protectins. They support the removal of the cellular debris. To survive and grow, tumors must therefore trick the body into turning off the resolvins and protectins, something they readily do. Resolvin drugs are currently in clinical trials for autoimmune disease and have been well tolerated to date.

Project Goal

This proposal will evaluate the role of resolvins and protectins in pediatric medulloblastoma, identify the cell type in the brain regulating this process, and evaluate whether resolvins and protectins can effectively reduce the stimulatory signal that tumor cells receive with therapy. This new and innovative approach could have significant implications for many pediatric and even adult tumors.