Collaborating to tackle brain tumors
Backed by a team of dedicated and compassionate physician-scientists, a biospecimens tumor bank, and state-of-the-art proton beam therapy, the Neuro-Oncology Program fosters new discoveries with the promise of better diagnosis and treatment.
Overview
The Neuro-Oncology Program investigates the mechanisms of brain tumor biology and researches prevention and treatment strategies for primary and secondary brain tumors, with a goal of improving survival and quality of life for patients with brain tumors. The program is part of Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Investigators in our program focus on three main areas of brain tumor research:
- Brain tumor biology: Identifying pathogenic and tumor biology factors that lead to brain tumor initiation and progression
- Biomarkers: Identifying and assessing laboratory and imaging biomarkers to diagnose brain tumors and to determine prognosis and predict response to therapy
- Novel therapeutic strategies: Developing new interventions that improve response rates and overall survival, reduce symptoms, and improve quality of life
The program conducts research at all three Mayo Clinic campuses — in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota.
Brain tumor research initiatives
Our program also supports a tumor bank and a proton beam program.
Thousands of patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures at Mayo Clinic have consented to contribute biospecimens to Mayo Clinic's neuro-oncology tumor bank. These specimens are available to all faculty members of the Neuro-Oncology Program to help facilitate translational research studies.
In the Proton Beam Therapy Program at Mayo Clinic, radiation oncologists use intensity-modulated proton beam therapy with pencil beam scanning to destroy cancer while sparing healthy tissue. A registry of patients undergoing this highly targeted precision proton beam therapy provides an important population to support research in the Neuro-Oncology Program.
Significant research achievements
Some of our most significant research accomplishments include:
- Seminal contributions toward the discovery of genetic loci associated with brain tumorigenesis
- Developing and characterizing FDOPA PET imaging as an improved targeting strategy for surgical and radiotherapy planning for gliomas
- Using patient-derived xenograft models to define predictive biomarkers for response to combination therapies
- Continued integrated genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of patient-derived xenografts and glioma stem-like cell cultures through the Brain Tumor Patient-Derived Xenograft National Resource
Program leadership
The Neuro-Oncology Program is directed by Steven S. Rosenfeld, M.D., Ph.D., and Jann N. Sarkaria, M.D.
- Dr. Rosenfeld is a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. He is also a professor of neurology and of pharmacology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Dr. Rosenfeld's research focuses on the science of molecular motors and the putative mechanism of glioma cell invasion.
- Dr. Sarkaria is a radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a professor of radiation oncology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Dr. Sarkaria's research lab, the Translational Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, develops novel therapeutic strategies for people with glioblastoma and brain metastases.