Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Study Identifies Novel Epigenetic Changes in Pediatric Brain Cancer
Disease Discoveries

Study Identifies Novel Epigenetic Changes in Pediatric Brain Cancer

By Melissa RohmanDec 5, 2022
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Xiao-Nan Li, MD, PhD, the Rachelle and Mark Gordon Professor of Cancer Research and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, was the senior author of the study published in Nature Communications. 

Investigators have identified previously unknown sets of epigenetic changes in pediatric brain tumors, which could serve as novel therapeutic targets and provide alternative treatment options for patients, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature Communications.  

Xiao-Nan Li, MD, PhD, the Rachelle and Mark Gordon Professor of Cancer Research and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, was senior author of the study.  

Pediatric ependymoma, the third most common type of brain cancer in children, currently has a recurrence rate of 50 percent and most patients will eventually succumb to the disease due to poor treatment response.  

While the cancer is aggressive and recurrence is common, the tumors grow slower in comparison to other types of brain tumors, offering a small window for patient care teams to try different treatment strategies, including the resection of recurrent tumors. Although surgery and radiation can help prolong patient survival, more effective and long-term treatment options are urgently needed, according to Li. 

In the current study, Li’s team performed DNA methylation sequencing together with RNA sequencing to identify epigenetic alterations using patient-matched primary and recurring ependymoma tumor tissue samples from 10 pediatric patients who had been treated with radiation and experienced cancer recurrence multiple times over a 13-year period.  

From this unique set of patient tumors, the investigators developed a novel panel of patient-derived orthotopic xenograft mouse models, which are critically needed for improving the understanding of tumor biology and for the testing of new therapies, according to Li.  

“Ependymoma is a very interesting tumor, and unlike many other human cancers, mutations are not a major cause. In this tumor, we call the mutations ‘silent’ because there’s not a whole lot of mutations. The changes are mostly on the epigenetics side, and that’s why we focus on DNA methylation,” said Li, who is also a professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation.  

Using the xenograft models, the investigators identified three unique sets of epigenetic mutations.  

The first set included differentially expressed genes that were regulated by potential “driver” DNA methylation regions (DMRs), or genomic regions containing different DNA methylation patterns, that carried over from the primary tumors to recurring tumors.   

The second set contained differentially expressed genes that were regulated by potential “booster” DMRs, which were found only in recurring tumors. In particular, the investigators discovered that the gene PLEKHG1 was expressed in all the recurrent tumor models which, according to Li, suggests that this gene could be a potential therapeutic target.  

The third set of mutations identified in primary tumors were “predictors of relapse,” or a set of epigenetic markers that could help predict whether a tumor has a high risk of recurrence. These predictors could help providers avoid giving unnecessary treatment to patients which could lead to further complications down the road, according to Li.   

“The pediatric brain is still developing, and if you treat them unnecessarily too harsh, it will delay development and decease quality of life. If there’s any way we can predict and improve their quality of life, that’s so important,” Li said.  

Furthermore, screening these drivers and boosters could help determine potential therapeutic targets and precision medicine-based treatment strategies.  

“The important things to know are that recurrent tumors and not exactly the same as primary tumors — they change a lot — and for this type of study, we need more collaboration. We need to work with as many hospitals and institutions as possible,” Li said.  

Yuchen Du, PhD, research assistant professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, and Xinyan Lu, MD, professor of Pathology in the Division of Cytogenetics, were co-authors of the study.  

Sibo Zhao, MD, assistant professor of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology at the Baylor College of Medicine, was lead author of the study.  

This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health grant RO1 CA185402, St. Baldrick’s Foundation grant 2532341503, Golfers against Cancer, the Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation, the National Brain Tumor Foundation, The Science development program of Guangzhou grant 201707020001, and CPRIT core grant RP150578 and RP200668.  

Cancer Pediatrics Research
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Longtime Alcohol Consumption Speeds Up Biological Aging 

Feb 3, 2023

Grant Provides Imaging Technology to Department of Ophthalmology

Feb 2, 2023

Gender-Affirming Hormones Improve Mental Health in Transgender and Nonbinary Youth

Feb 2, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Longtime Alcohol Consumption Speeds Up Biological Aging 

Feb 3, 2023

Grant Provides Imaging Technology to Department of Ophthalmology

Feb 2, 2023

Gender-Affirming Hormones Improve Mental Health in Transgender and Nonbinary Youth

Feb 2, 2023

Investigating the Connection Between Steps and Heart Disease Risk

Feb 1, 2023

Medical School Faculty Named AAAS Fellows

Jan 31, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-24
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-16
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-14
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-5
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-6
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-10
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-8
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-18
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-23
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-25
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-26

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.