Pediatric Brain Tumours
Brain cancer is an extremely aggressive disease that is difficult to cure and has a high mortality rate. Every year, more than 3,500 children in North America are diagnosed with this disease. Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors and the second leading cause (after leukemia) of cancer-related deaths in children.

The majority of patients (80%) with the more aggressive forms of brain tumors will not survive more than 2 years. Surgery and chemotherapy are the mainstay of current treatments for brain cancers. Surgery for brain tumors are especially challenging because of the sensitive location of the tumors.

Children who have undergone brain tumor surgery often experience long-term difficulties in learning and memory. Complete surgical recession is often impossible due to the invasive nature of the tumours. Adding to that, in certain groups of patients the tumours become resistant to the current chemotherapeutic drugs, leaving no other treatment options.

Our Research Efforts
Our new data shows that brain tumors cells must have a protein called Polo-Like Kinase 1 (PLK1) to divide. PLK1 levels are higher in cancer cells than in normal cells, and seem to be 'addicted' to this protein for survival. When we block this protein, cancer cells either die or their. growth is suppressed. Recently, we have shown in pediatric muscle cancer cells that when we removed this protein, cancer cells died, and leaving normal cells unharmed. The role of PLK1 is largely unexplored in pediatric brain cancers, and could be a crucial link in new treatments.

We are also looking for the 'seeds' of brain tumors, which we now call 'brain tumor initiating cells' (STICs). There is evidence suggesting these tumor-initiating cells (TICs) not only cause tumors to form, but are also an underlying cause of drug resistance, and subsequently cancer relapse. The TICs are long-lived and can very effectively pump out the drugs administered to patients and survive radiation therapies.

This research is dedicated to all the patients and their families who struggle against pediatric brain cancers.

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Group Supported By Hannah's Heroes Foundation

Back Row: Joanna Triscott (Graduate Student), Dr. Chris Dunharn (Neuropathologist), Peter Subrt (Research Coordinator), Dr. Chris Maxwell (Scientist), Jarnes Chen (Undergrad Student), Dr. Kaiji Hu (High Content Screening Coordinator)

Front Row: Amar Cheema (Undergrad Student), Jennifer Law (Research Technician), Dr. Sandra Dunn (Scientist & High Content Screening Director), Dr. Juliette Hukin (Clinical Investigator & One of Hannah's Physicians), Dr. Ash Singhal (Clinical Investigator & One of Hannah's Physicians), Cathy Lee (Graduate Student & Hannah's Heroes Fellow)

Latest Update on the Research Funding (16th Jan 2012)