Pediatric Blood & Cancer: Inhibition of MEK confers hypersensitivity to X-radiation in the context of BRAF mutation in a model of childhood astrocytoma

October 1, 2015

Adam Studebaker 1, Kathryn Bondra 2, Star Seum 2, Changxian Shen 1, Doris A Phelps 1, Christopher Chronowski 2, Justin Leasure 2, Paul D Smith 3, Raushan T Kurmasheva 1, Xiaokui Mo 4, Maryam Fouladi 5, Peter J Houghton 1 Abstract Purpose: Curative therapy for childhood glioma presents challenges when complete resection is not possible. Patients with recurrent low-grade tumors or anaplastic astrocytoma may receive radiation treatment; however, the long-term sequelae from radiation treatment can be severe. As many […]

NCI PPTC: Sarcoma and Renal Tumor Research Program

September 1, 2015

Dr. Peter Houghton, Dr. Raushan Kurmasheva (Co-Investigator)   Dr. Houghton is the Director of the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, which has as its mission to advance scientific knowledge relevant to childhood cancer and to accelerate the translation of knowledge into novel therapies. Dr. Houghton has been a leader in evaluating experimental agents using childhood […]

Pediatric Blood & Cancer: Radiation therapy may increase metastatic potential in alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

September 1, 2015

Gary M Woods # 1, Kathryn Bondra # 2, Christopher Chronowski 2, Justin Leasure 2, Mamata Singh 2, Lauren Hensley 2, Timothy P Cripe 1, Arnab Chakravarti 2, Peter Houghton 1 Abstract Background: We previously determined that radiation could be safely administered using a mouse-flank in vivo model to both alveolar (Rh30) and embryonal (Rh18) rhabdomyosarcoma xenografts. Mice from both tumor lines in this experiment developed metastases, an event not previously described with these models. […]

Frontiers in Oncology: Preclinical Childhood Sarcoma Models: Drug Efficacy Biomarker Identification and Validation

August 26, 2015

Over the past 35 years, cure rates for pediatric cancers have increased dramatically. However, it is clear that further dose intensification using cytotoxic agents or radiation therapy is not possible without enhancing morbidity and long-term effects. Consequently, novel, less genotoxic, agents are being sought to complement existing treatments. Here, we discuss preclinical human tumor xenograft […]

Cancer Prevention Research: Pubertal Bisphenol A Exposure Alters Murine Mammary Stem Cell Function Leading to Early Neoplasia in Regenerated Glands

April 1, 2014

Danhan Wang, Hui Gao, Abhik Bandyopadhyay, Anqi Wu, I-Tien Yeh, Yidong Chen, Yi Zou, Changjiang Huang, Christi A. Walter, Qiaoxiang Dong, and Lu-Zhe Sun Abstract Perinatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) has been shown to cause aberrant mammary gland morphogenesis and mammary neoplastic transformation. Yet, the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that mammary glands exposed to BPA during a susceptible window may lead to its susceptibility to tumorigenesis through a stem cell-mediated mechanism. […]