Brain UK study ref: 14/016,

Lay summary,

Project status: Active

Molecular Characterisation of Childhood Craniopharyngioma and Identification and Testing of Novel Drug Targets

Dr Juan-Pedro Martinez-Barbera (Contact Dr John Apps), UCL Institute of Child Health

Dr J.P Martinez-Barbera and colleagues at the UCL Institute of Child Health will be undertaking a study into craniopharyngioma. Craniopharyngioma is an aggressive brain tumour in children that causes severe and long-term health problems. The tumour tends to recur after treatment and may require multiple operations. This results in poor quality of life for the patients and sometimes results in death. Currently, the lack of specific treatments and tools to predict patient outcome are barriers in the management of patients with this disease, and these problems can’t be addressed until we gain a better understanding of the biology of Craniopharyngioma tumours. This study aims to look for molecular clues to improve the treatment of this disease.