Characterizing the Blood-Brain-Barrier in Pediatric Brain Tumors

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a layer of cells that prevents substances from entering the fluid surrounding the brain. The goals of the project are to determine the BBB status of various pediatric brain tumor types, grades, and anatomic locations. Researchers will interrogate the underlying pathology leading to permeability of the BBB and investigate potential genomic correlates that may affect mechanisms that determine BBB permeability. Researchers expect this work to have a high clinical impact as the BBB is the major barrier to drug delivery and novel methods of delivery affect the BBB in different ways. Therefore, understanding the extent of BBB permeability will help to influence the selection of the method of drug delivery. A large cohort is necessary to find statistically significant associations, particularly when adjusting for false discovery for genomic correlates. Because these tumors are very rare, the Children’s Brain Tumor Network’s contribution of imaging data and unstained slide samples is an invaluable resource for studying these diseases.