ecDNA: a possible driver of tumor diversity and treatment resistance in high-risk medulloblastoma
Official title: Investigation of ecDNA as a Driver of Intratumoral Heterogeneity and Treatment Resistance in High-Risk Medulloblastoma
Funded at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute · NIH-11394423 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A pediatric brain cancer research project is looking at circular DNA pieces inside tumor cells to see if they help the cancer become diverse and resistant to treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $636,772 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS132780-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11394423 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children diagnosed with high-risk medulloblastoma whose tumor samples can be analyzed for ecDNA.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors do not contain ecDNA or do not participate in genomic analyses may not benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will study circular extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) in medulloblastoma, a common pediatric brain tumor, to understand if ecDNA contributes to how tumors vary within a patient and resist therapy. They assembled a large, multi-institutional set of tumor genomes to identify ecDNA presence and its association with outcomes. Using new computational methods, they will detect ecDNA and analyze how different ecDNA variants may carry oncogenes and regulatory elements that drive aggressiveness. The project aims to test how ecDNA evolves and affects treatment response across molecular subgroups of this cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new targets for therapy and help tailor treatments based on ecDNA patterns in medulloblastoma.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggest ecDNA is present in a subset of medulloblastoma and may relate to poorer outcomes, indicating potential for impactful follow-up work.
Where this research is happening
-
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chavez, Lukas — Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
- Study coordinator: Chavez, Lukas
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.