Biomarker Identification for Neurofibromatosis Type 2 Background

NF2 is a tumor suppressor disorder that leads to the formation of many tumors throughout the lifetime of a patient. Tumors associated with NF2 include schwannomas, meningiomas, and ependymomas. In the treatment of cancer, biomarkers, or substances found in the body that indicate the presence of cancer, are essential to track disease progression and response to therapy. Currently there are no biomarkers associated with NF2 tumors. A lack of biomarkers makes conducting research and pursuing new therapeutics even more challenging. Researchers propose to examine NF2 tumor tissue to determine if there is a usable biomarker excreted from tumors that could be tracked to follow disease response to therapy. If researchers are able to identify a biomarker that can be tracked through blood or cerebrospinal fluid they will be able to accelerate clinical trials for NF2 patients. Acceleration of trials could then lead to acceleration of therapeutic options for NF2 tumors. Researchers will conduct this work using samples provided by the Children’s Brain Tumor Network.