Cynthia Hawkins

Oncogenic fusions involving receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) provide an excellent opportunity for therapeutic targeting but the clinical and molecular landscape of pediatric RTK-driven gliomas remains largely uncharted. To define clinically-relevant tumor subgroups and assess their prognostic significance, we will evaluate the correlation between molecular and clinical characteristics. This project will provide mechanistic insights into RTK-fused gliomas and enable precision medicine approaches to treat these tumors.

Pediatric high grade astrocytomas are very difficult to treat and decades of clinical trials on adult tumors has failed to improve outcomes. Researchers will utilize cell lines provided by the Children’s Brain Tumor Network to explore newly discovered mutational drivers of this tumor type in an effort to develop pediatric centric therapies.