# Investigation of a Novel Cancer Stem Cell Population in Ependymoma.

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2020 · $355,706

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Brain tumors have become the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Ependymoma (EPN)
accounts for a substantial number of these deaths, and unlike in medulloblastoma, no effective chemotherapy
has been identified. Most pediatric ependymomas, unlike in adults, occur in the posterior fossa. While
aggressive surgery and radiation improve the initial results but even in completely resected and radiated
posterior fossa ependymoma the 10-year progression survival is very poor with only approximately one third of
these children being without relapse. All relapsed children with ependymoma will relapse again and all will die,
often after multiple relapses with damaging repeated surgeries and radiation. There is a desperate need to
understand the biology of these tumors better to understand the high, and often delayed, relapses. Bulk
examination of childhood ependymoma samples has allowed classification within ependymoma which has had
identified subpopulations with early relapse risk but has had no impact on therapy or long-term outcomes.
Given that relapses are late, seen most frequently in children who have had complete surgeries and are
radiated, we hypothesized that relapses occur from a relatively small number of resistant cancer stem cells
present at diagnosis. Preliminary data using single cell RNA seq on posterior fossa ependymoma strengthens
this hypothesis and identifies a putative cancer stem cell subpopulation amongst 4 distinct subpopulations.
This grant rigorously explores whether we have indeed identified a cancer stem population in childhood
ependymoma. Our research intends to fully characterizes the distinct ependymoma subpopulations identified
in single cell RNA seq. Potentially targeting a stem cell population at diagnosis in addition to surgery and
radiation may improved outcomes for a pediatric brain tumor that has substantial mortality.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9880408
- **Project number:** 5R01CA237608-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** NICHOLAS K FOREMAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $355,706
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9880408

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9880408, Investigation of a Novel Cancer Stem Cell Population in Ependymoma. (5R01CA237608-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9880408. Licensed CC0.

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