⭐Technical Report out today at Nature Cancer The deep neural network M-PACT uses low-input cell-free DNA methylation profiles to classify pediatric brain tumors @doctorpauln77.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s43...

The Northcott group introduced M-PACT, a next-generation AI classifier using DNA methylation from liquid biopsies. M-PACT overcomes challenges arising from low levels of DNA for accurate classification and monitoring of tumor microenvironment and evolution. #NatureCancer tinyurl.com/36duu9az

Scientists at St. Jude published the largest analysis of #medulloblastoma treatment from ~900 patients. By harmonizing clinical & molecular data, they identified new risk groups—enabling more precise, less toxic therapies for kids. ow.ly/XtYs50Xn8cF 🧠✨

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Olivier Ayrault from Institut Curie as a guest speaker for the CENOS-NBTP seminar series presenting "Causal Multi-omics Integration Reveals Metabolic Dependencies in Human Medulloblastoma".

A new computational method to separate bulk multi-omics data has been developed in collaboration between Qian Li and Paul Northcott’s lab. MOADE can predict cell types and generate personalized molecular profiles for analyzing complex tissues and tumors. (1/2)

Alisha Kardian, graduate student in the Mack lab, is the 2025 recipient for the prestigious Schweisguth Prize awarded for the best scientific article by a trainee in pediatric oncology. Congratulations on this outstanding achievement! siop-online.org/schweisguth-...

Droplet-like formation of nuclear condensates underlies how a fusion oncoprotein disrupts gene expression in a form of pediatric cancer. This study spanning disease biology, molecular genetics, and biophysics was published today in Nature Cell Biology. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Ependymoma, the third most common childhood brain tumor, has seen little therapeutic progress in 30+ years. New findings reveal how the ZFTA–RELA fusion protein drives tumor formation via condensates. ow.ly/fg4r50WMPZJ

The Mack lab congratulates Amelia Hancock, a student from the ‪@uniofbath.bsky.social‬ exchange program, for her fantastic presentation on the work conducted during her year-long rotation. She has been an awesome part of the lab and will be greatly missed!

Dr. Stephen Mack, Associate Member of DNB & CENOS, is presenting “Deciphering the molecular and cellular basis of fusion driven ependymoma to uncover novel therapies” for the virtual Science of Childhood Cancer Lecture Aug 21. stjude.org/socc

We are excited to kick off this season of SOCC with a milestone: our 150th lecture. Join us every Thursday, from 8/14 to 11/20, at 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET for an engaging and interactive 15-week virtual lecture series.

The Baker lab had a fantastic experience mentoring POE intern Ethan Wunibald through the summer. He did an excellent job learning an array of techniques in the lab and presenting his findings. We look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next!

The Northcott lab is proud of High School Research Immersion Program student Catherine Carney for her summer research project poster. Your hard work and boundless curiosity was clear in your findings and way you answered tough questions. We know you have a bright future ahead!

A recent study testing CAR-T immunotherapy for ependymoma identified treatment promise and new questions to understand how the immune response can influence treatment response. www.stjude.org/research/pro...

The Northcott lab conducted an extensive re-analysis of a single-cell transcriptional atlas of human cerebellar development originally published in 2022. During this process, we identified significant concerns related to data integrity and interpretation,

Graduate Student Sanya Mehta and Postdoc Siri Ippagunta tested CAR T-cell immunotherapy in ependymoma models. This collaboration between the Stephen Mack and Giedre Krenciute labs examines how the immune system responds to CAR-T cells and mediates treatment efficacy. doi.org/10.1158/1078...

A deeper understanding of how cells organize themselves is changing the way we think about neurological diseases. At St. Jude, researchers are studying biomolecular condensates—droplets that organize proteins, RNA and DNA—to uncover new treatment strategies. ow.ly/tzpp50WbzjK

Congratulations to the Northcott team making the cover of Cancer Cell for their work demonstrating how inherited ELP1 variants confer risk for SHH #medulloblastoma! tinyurl.com/39p365ae

Online Now: Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 primes group-3 medulloblastomas for cuproptosis

Online Now: Genetic modeling of ELP1-associated Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma identifies MDM2 as a selective therapeutic target

The Northcott lab identified inherited ELP1 loss increases risk for SHH #medulloblastoma through stalled differentiation, DNA replication stress, genomic instability, and accelerated cell cycle. Restoring p53 signaling was found to have therapeutic potential. tinyurl.com/5355xy6t

Congratulations to the Northcott lab for 10 years at St Jude! Thank you to the Mack lab for joining as we celebrate this important milestone!

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Sameer Agnihotri from the University of Pittsburgh as a guest speaker for the CENOS-NBTP seminar series presenting "Microenvironmental, Epitranscriptomic, and Chromosomal Engineering Approaches to Uncover Translational Targets for Gliomas".

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Alex Miller from NYU Langone Health and Perlmutter Cancer Center as a guest speaker for the CENOS-NBTP seminar series presenting "Tapping the Genome: Liquid biopsies for CNS tumors".

Congratulations to Tuyu Zheng for winning a Damon Runyon-St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Fellowship for her research, co-supervised by Stephen Mack and Lindsay Schwarz at St. Jude’s! tinyurl.com/23cbtkt3

The proteosome fine-tunes protein levels; defects in targeted degradation cause disease, such as mutations in KBTBD4 driving medulloblastoma. Investigators at UW, Harvard, and St. Jude identified these mutations create interactions with new protein targets to aberrantly degrade them.

Congratulations to Dr. Stephanie Wu! Her poster on organoid models for medulloblastoma received the exceptional poster award at the Annual Comprehensive Cancer Center Postdoctoral Symposium.

The Science of Childhood Cancer is an interactive, weekly lecture series designed to engage the scientific community on key questions in pediatric cancer research. The Spring 2025 lecture season begins February 6 and runs through May 15. www.stjude.org/education-tr...

Today is World Cancer Day – a call to close the care gap for cancer. Over 400,000 children develop cancer each year, but many never receive a diagnosis. For those who do, access to treatment depends on available resources.

Today is #WorldCancerDay, and St. Jude is as committed as ever to fighting childhood cancer on all fronts. Danny Thomas said, “No child should die in the dawn of life.”

A collaboration between Dr. Zakharenko and Dr. Northcott at St. Jude revealed a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia may arise from a ”chain of events from the malformed skull to the underdeveloped [cerebellum] to the auditory cortex dysfunction”. tinyurl.com/ykw4e2wv

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Samuel McBrayer from UT Southwestern as a guest speaker for the CENOS-NBTP seminar series presenting "Metabolic control of neural cell fate and function."

A recent collaboration with the Jain lab identified a drug repurposing strategy to stimulate anti-tumor immune responses for ependymoma. tinyurl.com/93jrx5zt

The location and type of mutation in ZIC1 determines medulloblastoma subtype and can be targeted to suppress cancer growth. Read about the collaboration between the Northcott, Taylor, and Huang labs at St. Jude, Baylor, and Mayo: tinyurl.com/y9dbkrsw @stjuderesearch.bsky.social

ZIC1 is a context-dependent medulloblastoma driver in the rhombic lip www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The Neurobiology and Brain Tumor Program is seeking a Bioinformatics Research Scientist, Senior (2-3 years postgraduate experience) and Bioinformatics Research Scientist (recent PhD graduate). To find out more and apply: talent.stjude.org/careers/jobs...

"The Neurobiology and Brain Tumor Program at St. Jude brings together scientists…to make impactful progress in understanding and treating these diseases." Read more about CENOS members research goals, partnerships, and impact: nature.com/articles/d42...

The Center of Excellence in Neuro-Oncology Sciences at St Jude uses innovative strategies to advance knowledge, enhance treatment, and improve outcomes for children affected by #braincancer, including #medulloblastoma #ependymoma #glioma.