Pathania Group: for non-scientists

Brain tumours are sadly the most common type of cancer in children and teenagers, causing more deaths than any other childhood cancer. Many of these cases are gliomas or ependymomas, two types that are especially difficult to treat, with survival chances often very poor. Because patient samples are limited, researchers in the Pathania lab have created new ways of modelling these tumours in the laboratory. Their first breakthrough was a model that accurately mimicked a rare childhood glioma driven by a mutation called H3K27M, showing how changes in early brain development can lead to cancer.

Since then, the team has built a wide range of tumour models that reflect the genetic variety seen in children’s gliomas. These models are powerful tools for studying how tumours grow, how they interact with the immune system, and how they respond to treatments. Importantly, the lab has shown that the tumour environment itself can be reprogrammed to make immunotherapy more effective, which is promising for these cancers that normally resist immune-based treatments. Looking ahead, their work will focus on finding precise, tailored therapies for different tumour subtypes, discovering new treatment targets in the tumour environment, and understanding how cancers adapt to and resist therapy—all with the ultimate goal of developing better treatments for children with brain tumours.