Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
My name is Karen Wright, and I am currently an attending physician in Neuro-Oncology and Director of Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Experimental Therapeutics at the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in Boston, MA. My translational research focuses on pediatric brain tumors and the identification of novel agents based on appropriate pre-clinical rationale to test in early phase clinical trials with pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and target validation endpoints while gaining an understanding of mechanisms of action, resistance, and variable responses. This is highlighted by my prior investigator initiated led trials, one of which repurposed the drug 5-fluorouracil for ependymoma (NCT01498783) and more recently with pan-RAF inhibitor tovorafenib in our current investigator initiated phase 1 trial for MAPK pathway altered tumors (NCT03429803). Ultimately, the goal of my work is to improve outcomes for children diagnosed with brain tumors by better understanding mechanisms of drug action and resistance to identify effective targeted agents for patients.
