ABOUT US
The research program of the Jabado lab is centered around pediatric brain tumors and aims to elucidate the genetic signatures of pediatric astrocytomas and examine how they compare to their adult counterparts. Our group established that pediatric Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), which is one of the deadliest cancers in humans, are molecularly and genetically distinct from adult GBM.
We were the first to identify a new molecular mechanism driving pediatric GBM, namely recurrent somatic driver mutations in histone molecules that lead to amino-acid substitutions at key residues (K27M, K36M, G34V/R). Histones are involved in regulating the development and growth of many body tissues, particularly in the brain, and these mutations partly explain why this cancer may remain unresponsive to treatment. We aim to identify events affected downstream of each histone mutation, and validate targets in our new models to better advise the use of experimental or pipeline drug(s) that could be rapidly translated into clinical trials.
Columbia Pictures