Key findings

Key findings of the Spine Oncology Lab include:

• Blocking the YAP protein in chordoma tumors makes them more sensitive to radiation and slows their growth. It also shuts down brachyury, the protein that drives chordoma survival.
• Verteporfin (Visudyne), an eye medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, can be repurposed to inhibit YAP in spine tumors. This medication works together with radiation to kill tumor cells more effectively.
• Drug-loaded microparticles injected directly into tumors can deliver verteporfin with greater precision and fewer whole-body side effects than systemic treatment.
• We have built one of the largest chordoma tissue biobanks at a single institution, enabling research that would not be possible elsewhere.