Advancement: Genomic Analysis Methods For Identification of Cancer Driver Pathways In Childhood Cancer

Lauren Sanders, PhD Student, UC Santa Cruz Biomolecular Engineering & Bioinformatics

Abstract:  
According to the American Cancer Society, pediatric cancer comprises just under 1% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States each year. Pediatric cancer survival rates have substantially improved from a 58% five-year survival rate in the 1970s to an 80% five-year survival rate today. However, for many rare pediatric cancers, the survival rate has not improved significantly. Given this lack of progress, clinicians and researchers are searching for novel therapeutic options for these rare cancers.
As part of this effort, the UCSC Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative is developing methods based on gene expression analysis to identify potential therapeutic leads for pediatric cancers.
My proposed research evaluates these methods and augments their capabilities.
First, I propose using existing Treehouse methods to elucidate the biology of the most devastating pediatric brain tumors and identify druggable targets in these tumors. I discuss preliminary data demonstrating the validity of the Treehouse analysis.
Second, I identify limitations of the original Treehouse analysis, and propose improvements as well as additions to the existing workflow.
Third, because accurate cancer models are crucial in the discovery and testing of treatments for pediatric cancer, I propose an analysis to determine the comparability of a new cancer model, the 3D organoid.
Last modified: Jan 10, 2018