The Children’s Brain Tumor Project has a single goal: to bring hope to the hundreds of patients and families each year who confront these heartbreaking diagnoses. Gliomatosis cerebri and DIPG are just two examples of the devastating brain tumors that typically strike children, adolescents, and young adults. Because they are so rare, these inoperable tumors simply do not get the funding or attention that research scientists need to find a cure.
Meet the Weill Cornell Team
Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield
Lead Investigator
Dr. Mark Souweidane
Lead Investigator
Cindy Campbell
Tissue Navigator
Alexandra Backland
Tissue Navigator
OUR REGIONAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE AT WEILL CORNELL MEDICINE
The pediatric neuro-oncology research laboratories at Weill Cornell Medicine are under the direction of Dr. Mark Souweidane, who is currently investigating interstitial infusion for pediatric brain tumors, and Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield, who is investigating genomic sequencing and personalized medicine. Together they lead the Children’s Brain Tumor Project
The Children’s Brain Tumor Project was founded in 2011 at the Weill Cornell Pediatric Brain and Spine Center. The project owes its inspiration and launch to Elizabeth Minter, whose battle with gliomatosis cerebri — a rare and inoperable brain tumor — inspired her surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield, to undertake this groundbreaking research initiative. In starting the Children’s Brain Tumor Project, Dr. Greenfield joined forces with Dr. Mark Souweidane, who had already spent a decade researching and testing alternative therapeutic delivery systems for other inoperable brain cancers, such as DIPG.
The Children’s Brain Tumor Project has a single goal: to bring hope to the hundreds of patients and families each year who confront these heartbreaking diagnoses. Gliomatosis cerebri and DIPG are just two examples of the devastating brain tumors that typically strike children, adolescents, and young adults. Because they are so rare, these inoperable tumors simply do not get the funding or attention that research scientists need to find a cure.
About Dr. Souweidane’s Lab
Dr. Souweidane’s laboratory includes a team of technicians, fellows, and medical students to move the research forward.
About Interstitial Infusion
A major limitation in treating pediatric brain tumors has been the ability to achieve adequate levels of a therapeutic agent within the tumor, due to the presence of the blood brain barrier (BBB). A major advance in the field of neuro-oncology has been the introduction of local delivery schemes, which administer therapeutic molecules directly into the tumor. Interstitial infusion, also called convection-enhanced delivery (CED), is a local delivery system that has been investigated in Dr. Mark Souweidane’s laboratory as a potential form of therapy for children with inoperable brain tumors. Find out more about Interstitial Infusion/Convection-Enhanced Delivery research.
Weill Cornell Medicine Neurosurgery’s Pediatric Oncology lab is also a member of the Children’s Oncology Group and is participating in a worldwide protocol to collect, bank, and study brain tumor tissue and blood samples from children and adolescents.
About Dr. Greenfield’s Lab
Dr. Greenfield’s laboratory team also includes technicians, fellows, and medical students.
About Personalized Medicine
There are many different types of pediatric brain tumors, and many variations even among a single type. The fast-changing field of genomics holds the potential for “personalized medicine,” in which a treatment will be tailored precisely for the individual patient and the tumor type. Dr. Greenfield’s team focuses on how to use genomic sequencing to identify the best therapeutic agent for inoperable pediatric brain tumors. Find out more about our research into genomic sequencing and personalized medicine.