Why do some childhood cancers return after treatment—and why can they be so much harder to treat the second time?
At the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, the Ignatius Lab, led by Myron Ignatius, PhD, is working to answer those questions by studying rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft-tissue sarcoma in children.
A tumor isn’t simply a collection of identical cancer cells. Different groups of cells within the same tumor can behave differently. Some may respond to treatment, while others can survive, spread, or help the cancer return.
The Ignatius Lab studies this tumor heterogeneity, with a particular focus on cancer cells capable of self-renewal and metastasis. Researchers use zebrafish cancer models, human cancer cells, and other laboratory systems to watch tumors develop and investigate the biological changes that can contribute to relapse and treatment resistance.
Zebrafish give researchers an especially powerful window into cancer. Because scientists can observe tumor cells in a living animal, they can study how different populations of cancer cells behave, test potential treatments, and investigate the genetic changes that may allow a tumor to come back.
The goal is to identify genes and biological pathways that drive relapse—and ultimately uncover vulnerabilities that could lead to more personalized treatments for children whose cancer has returned.
Because beating childhood cancer once isn’t enough. We need to understand how to keep it from coming back.
🔬 Learn more about the Ignatius Lab
#ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth #GoldRibbon #Rhabdomyosarcoma #CancerResearch #CancerRelapse #GreeheyCCRI #UTSanAntonio