In the News

In this American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Daily News article, Dr. Angela Hirbe and her colleagues discuss the current data for using liquid biopsies (blood test) to attempt to diagnose cancer early.  Their team is working hard to make this a reality for NF1 patients! You can read the full article here.

Study lays groundwork for clinical trial aimed at preventing brain tumors in children with NF1. A drug used to treat children with epilepsy prevents brain tumor formation and growth in two mouse models of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. NF1 is […]

Hannah Wang, an undergraduate student in Dr. David Gutmann’s laboratory, was recently awarded an Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) Pediatric Oncology Student Training (POST) summer research internship. The program was founded with the mission to change the lives of children with cancer through funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families, and empowering everyone to help […]

Low-grade gliomas (LGGs) are common brain tumors arising in children with the Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome. Unfortunately, the tumor cells from these brain cancers often die when grown in the laboratory under standard conditions. To more accurately model human LGGs from children with NF1, Washington University Assistant Professor, Dr. Corina Anastasaki, developed […]

Children with NF1 are prone to the development of autism and brain tumors, which could reflect the effect of NF1 mutation on microglia function. Microglia are specialized macrophages that constantly survey the brain in health and in the setting of nervous system disease. As such, microglia have been implicated in the development of autism and […]