Members of the Brain Tumor Program of Huntsman Cancer Institute pursue a wide range of goals relevant to understanding nervous system function and developing new treatments for neurological disease. For example, we utilize well-defined systems of precursor cells to understand how the processes of differentiation are regulated, with research examining cell-extrinsic signaling molecules, transcriptional control and biochemical control of these processes. Our precursor cell discovery program has the goal of identifying the precursor cell populations that are involved in the creation of the central nervous system. Comparison of the properties of these normal cells with tumors of the human brain also provides insights into the origin of human brain tumors and the biological dysfunctions that cause them to become neoplastic. Still other areas of discovery carried out by members of the Brain Tumor Program include landmark research on the ion channel mutations responsible for inherited forms of neurological disease, much other research on channel function, a wide range of efforts in developmental biology (in organisms ranging from C. elegans to H. sapiens), a wide range of studies on glial and neuronal function and interaction, one of the most advanced imaging programs in the country and the pursuit of cybersurgical innovations in the arena of neurosurgery. In addition, in collaboration with the Keck Center for Tissue Engineering of the University of Utah, the Brain Tumor Program is committed to the development of new strategies for the repair of damage to the CNS and other tissues, through the development of biohybrid devices that bring together biomaterials sciences and stem cell biology.

Through the above efforts, and through other ongoing programs, the Brain Tumor Program provides a continuity of research efforts ranging from basic research to clinical application. The active involvement of basic scientists and clinician scientists in this effort facilitates the development of novel approaches with the potential of being translated into clinical practice. By providing a program in which fundamental and applied researchers from several different university departments work in partnership, a training environment is provided that enables our members to avail themselves of the strengths of both of these approaches.

Participating Faculty

Rick Ash - My laboratory is interested in the relationships between amino acid transport and cellular physiology. We are discovering linkages between glutamate transport and glutathione metabolism. We use somatic cell genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology to study mammalian cell culture models.

Michael Bastiani - The lab studies the molecular regulation of neuronal growth cone behavior during brain development and in particular the role of lipocalins. "Unregulated" cancer cell motility is a key behavior leading to tumor metastisies. We study the dynamic behaviors of growth cones primarily in C. elegans using state of the art confocal microscopic imaging techniques, but also make extensive use of molecular and genetic techniques in Drosophila and mouse to study molecular function.

Mario R. Capecchi - Our laboratory's effort is directed toward the molecular genetic analysis of mammalian development with emphasis on neurogenesis, organogenesis and limb development. Mouse genetics.

Chi-Bin Chien - My lab is studying axon guidance, using the retinotectal projection of zebrafish as a model system. How axons find their initial targets in vivo is a basic problem of developmental neurobiology, which we are attempting to address at a cell biological level. We are using a combination of molecular biology, classical genetics, positional cloning, and sophisticated imaging methods to define the molecules involved in retinal axon guidance and how they control growth cone dynamics.

Maureen L. Condic - We are interested in the control of neuronal fate and axon outgrowth during development of the nervous system. The control of cell fate and cell migration are important topics both in developmental biology and in cell biology. We work in embryonic animal models (chicks, rats and mice), both in vitro and in vivo, using cell biological and molecular biological techniques.

Robert S. Fujinami - We are interested in viral pathogenesis. My laboratory studies how viruses interact with the central nervous system (CNS) including how the immune system recognizes the virus infected cell resulting in either viral clearance or persistence. We use both in vitro and in vivo approaches mutating the virus and follow the CNS pathology.

Erik M. Jorgensen - Our lab is interested in the proteins which regulate neurotransmission. We have demonstrated that the steps in the synaptic vesicle cycling depend on the phosphorylation state of lipids. We are using the nematode C. elegans to identify mutants which are defective in these processes.

Suzanne L. Mansour - The Mansour Lab is interested in understanding the genetic control of inner ear development and function. Inner ear development goes through classic steps of induction, morphogenesis and differentiation, so the genetic pathways responsible for this progression are likely to be conserved among many developing organs. We use gene trapping and gene targeting to generate mutant mice, which are characterized using morphologic, behavioral, and molecular techniques.

Andres Villu Maricq - Nervous system development and plasticity. Study of genes required for neuronal differentiation, pathfinding, and synaptic organization. Genetic and molecular analysis of neuronal function in Caenorhabditis elegans and generation of transgenic models.

Baldomero M. Olivera - Our lab is interested in Conus peptides and their target ion channels. The latter are the key macromolecules underpinning all electrical signals in nervous systems. We use a combination of biochemistry, molecular biology and electrophysiology for our work.

H. Joseph Yost - Our research group is interested in the developmental genetic pathways and mechanisms that establish the vertebrate body plan. We use embryos of zebrafish and the frog Xenopus laevis in complementary approaches, with a focus on how left-right asymmetry is established in the embryo and transmitted to brain, heart and viscera primordial cells. The projects in the lab encompass a broad range of molecular and cell biological topics, including cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, cell fate and migration, cell signaling pathways from ligand/receptors interactions to transcription co-factors and RNA translational control. Yost Lab.