Professor Pomerantz to develop epigenetic therapies for aggressive brain cancers

Professor William Pomerantz' lab has received a $100,000 grant from the Humor to Fight the Tumor Foundation to support its chemical epigenetics research project to develop new inhibitors for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).

High-grade gliomas affect both adults and children and lack effective treatment options. High-grade gliomas are tumors of the glial cells, cells found in the brain and spinal cord. They are called high-grade because the tumors are fast-growing and they spread quickly through brain tissue, making them hard to treat. DIPG is an aggressive pediatric cancer, which is the leading cause of brain cancer deaths in children.

This work is being conducted in collaboration with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which specializes in the treatment of childhood cancers.