Case Western Reserve University
Richmond Heights, Ohio, United States
Dr. Christopher Hubert, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University.
Brain tumors are a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in adolescents and young adults, driven by cancer stem cells and characterized by extreme cellular diversity within distinct niche environments. I was originally trained as a biomedical engineer, and have been researching brain tumors for nearly two decades. Our research includes the use of advanced 3D organoid cultures to better replicate the diversity and microenvironmental biology of human tumors. Isolating and testing cells from spatially distinct niches allows us to identify specific vulnerabilities in different cell populations within a tumor. We especially have an interest in illuminating the metabolic and epigenetic regulatory pathways that support glioblastoma stem cells within a tumor.
To truly change the outcomes for brain tumor patients, we must improve our ability to faithfully model and retain the cellular behaviors found within patient tumors, and we must be able to study these interacting cell populations at a granular level. Our lab is therefore focused on: 1) Developing brain tumor models that better mimic tumors within patients, 2) Studying cell-cell and cell-environment interplay within tumor stem cell niches, and 3) The specific targeting and destruction of individual cell populations within brain tumors.
