# 05 Brain Cancer

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2020 · $18,675

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The Brain Cancer Program (BCP), a multidisciplinary basic, translational, and clinical research program, includes
86 members (36 primary and 50 associate). Leadership is provided by physician-scientists: Amy Heimberger
and Frederick Lang, both neurosurgeons; Juan Fueyo-Margareto, a laboratory-based investigator; and John
de Groot, a neuro-oncologist. The overall goal of the BCP is to identify the genetic and molecular determinants
of primary and metastatic brain tumor formation and progression and to use this knowledge to improve the
survival and quality of life of patients through specifically targeted biological and small-molecule therapies. The
program has 3 specific aims. Aim 1: To develop effective viral and immunotherapeutic treatment strategies that
exploit glioblastoma heterogeneity. Aim 2: To determine how to optimize targeted approaches for central
nervous system tumors. Aim 3: To define factors that promote the development of central nervous system
metastases, devise strategies to prevent their formation, develop early detection or identify at-risk patients, and
prioritize optimal therapeutic approaches. The BCP's annual direct peer-reviewed funding is $5.7M, including a
Brain Cancer SPORE. Of the total peer-reviewed funding, $2.1M (37%) is from NCI grants, and $3.6M is from
other peer-reviewed sources. BCP members have authored 703 publications in peer-reviewed journals over the
past 6 years, of which 362 (51%) were intra-programmatic, 170 (24%) were inter-programmatic, and 485 (69%)
involved external collaborations. Forty-one percent of publications have appeared in journals with IF >5, and
13% have appeared in journals with IF >10, including Nature, Cancer Cell, Mol Cell, Lancet Oncol, J Clin Oncol,
J Natl Cancer Inst, J Clin Invest, and Nat Genet. Accomplishments include major contributions to The Cancer
Genome Atlas and key leadership roles in the international glioblastoma Adaptive Global Innovative Learning
Environment Bayesian Clinical Trial. During the last grant period, members of the BCP made important
contributions in evaluating transcriptome plasticity and radiation resistance in glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs)
(Bhat et al, Cancer Cell, 2013) and the roles of Quaking in self-renewal and preventing terminal differentiation
of GSCs (Hu J et al, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2013; Shingu et al, Nat Genet, 2017), WNT5a in driving GSC
differentiation into endothelial-like cells that support invasive glioblastoma cells (Hu B et al, Cell, 2016), and
PKM2 in altering cell metabolism and cell-cycle progression with the Cancer Biology and Metastasis Program
(Yang et al, Mol Cell, 2012; Yang et al, Cell, 2012; Jiang Y et al, Mol Cell, 2014; Jiang Y et al, Nat Commun,
2014). Another important advance by BCP members is the use of stereotactic radiosurgery after brain metastasis
resection as an alternative to whole-brain radiotherapy, which has influenced the standard of care for these
patients nationally (Mahajan A et...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9997817
- **Project number:** 5P30CA016672-44
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Amy Beth Heimberger
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $18,675
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9997817

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9997817, 05 Brain Cancer (5P30CA016672-44). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9997817. Licensed CC0.

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