SUMMARY
The research of Oluwaseun O. Akinduro, M.D., integrates translational lab science with clinical neurosurgery. Dr. Akinduro focuses on improving treatment decisions and developing more-effective therapies for patients with primary and secondary tumors of the spinal column and central nervous system.
Since establishing his lab in July 2024, Dr. Akinduro has built a productive research program spanning three major domains:
- Molecular mechanisms of radioresistance and immune evasion in metastatic spinal tumors and sarcomas, with a particular emphasis on chordoma.
- Drug delivery strategies using drug particles to sensitize spinal tumors to radiation.
- Multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) tools to predict outcomes and support clinical decisions in spinal oncology, including AI-driven digital pathology for tumor characterization.
Dr. Akinduro's approach bridges the operating room and lab. He uses tissue from his patients to develop targeted therapies. Then he translates those findings back to clinical care.
Focus areas
- Spinal tumor radioresistance and immune evasion. Dr. Akinduro's lab targets the yes-associated protein (YAP) pathway. The lab investigates YAP as a master regulator of radioresistance, tumorigenicity and immune evasion in spinal metastases and primary spinal tumors, including chordoma, osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma and pleomorphic sarcoma. His lab identified that the brachyury-YAP axis drives tumor growth and therapy resistance and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in chordoma. His lab also identified that YAP inhibition downregulates brachyury through a novel feedback mechanism. New data from Dr. Akinduro's lab demonstrates for the first time that YAP mediates immune evasion in chordoma by regulating checkpoint inhibition, antigen presentation and chemokine-cytokine signaling. This discovery opens a new line of investigation into combining YAP-targeted therapy with immunotherapy for radioresistant spinal tumors.
- Microparticles for spinal tumors. Dr. Akinduro's group has been using drug-loaded particles to treat spinal tumors. Intratumoral delivery of these particles has been shown to inhibit tumor growth and radiosensitize preclinical models of lung and breast metastatic spine cancer and chordoma, offering a targeted strategy with limited systemic adverse effects. Ongoing work extends this intratumoral drug delivery platform to additional sarcoma histologies and validates its efficacy in an orthotopic neuroaxial chordoma model. Pharmacokinetic studies are underway to characterize local drug distribution and systemic exposure within solid tumors in preparation for future clinical trials.
- Multimodal AI for spinal metastasis outcome prediction. Dr. Akinduro is leading the development of a multimodal AI decision support tool. This tool integrates MRI radiomics, CT bone features, X-ray alignment metrics, digital histopathology from hematoxylin and eosin slides, and structured clinical data. The tool predicts survival and ambulatory outcomes in patients with spinal metastases. The project to create the tool is starting with breast cancer, the most common primary tumor that causes symptomatic spinal metastases. Eventually, this project will expand to all primary cancer types.
- AI-driven digital pathology for chordoma outcome prediction. Dr. Akinduro is developing an AI model using whole-slide digital pathology images from patients with chordoma to predict oncologic outcomes. This ongoing project establishes the feasibility of using hematoxylin and eosin histopathology slides as an AI input modality in spinal oncology and directly informs the digital pathology component of the broader multimodal AI platform. Future work will expand this digital pathology approach to other primary and metastatic spinal tumor types. The long-term goal is to create a scalable, tumor-agnostic AI decision support infrastructure for oncology tumor boards at Mayo Clinic and other institutions.
Significance to patient care
Spinal tumors are growths that form in the spine or spread there from other parts of the body. They can cause serious pain and weakness. They also can make it hard or impossible for someone to walk. These tumors usually do not respond well to treatments such as radiation or immunotherapy. Often there are no approved medicines for them.
Dr. Akinduro's lab is working on a new way to treat these tumors. The lab is making tiny particles that are filled with medicine. These particles can be injected right into the tumor. The approach may help standard treatments work better. This means patients may need less medicine and may have fewer side effects.
For patients whose cancer has spread to the spine, Dr. Akinduro is creating an AI tool. The tool uses imaging scans and biopsy results to help care teams decide when surgery really is needed. This can help people avoid risky surgeries that may not help them. It also makes sure those who need surgery get it.
In the end, Dr. Akinduro's research may help thousands of patients with spinal tumors each year. This research may help patients live better, avoid problems from surgery and keep their nerves working well.
Professional highlights
- Mayo Clinic:
- Director, Spinal Oncology, 2024-present.
- Member, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center — Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee, 2026.
- Mayo Clinic Research Catalyst grant, 2024.
- Research Accelerator for Clinicians Engaged in Research grant, 2024.
- Mayo Scholars Award, Department of Neurosurgery, 2023.
- Resident of the Year Award, Department of Neurosurgery, 2022.
- AiBLE 40 Under 40, Medtronic PLC, 2026.
- Loan Repayment Program, National Institutes of Health, 2025.
- Best Research Presentation, Fellows Day, Globus Headquarters, 2024.
- Cover figure, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, 2021; 2023.
- Research Fellowship Grant, Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation and American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Central Nervous System Section on Tumors, 2021-2022.
- Cover figure, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, 2021.