The AACR-Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Medulloblastoma Research Fellowship represents a joint effort to encourage and support a postdoctoral or clinical research fellow to conduct brain cancer research and to establish a successful career path in this field.

2023 grantee

Research

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common primary brain tumor in children. DDX3X, encoding an ATP-driven RNA helicase, is the second most frequently mutated gene in the WNT and SHH subtypes of MB. DDX3X is a life-or-death gatekeeper of the cerebellum, modulating hindbrain development and MB suppression by restricting the growth of cell lineages that can generate tumors. DDX3X mutations induce hyper-assembly of stress granules (SGs) – phase-separated cytoplasmic organelles that enhance survival through translation stalling and pro-growth signaling. Dr. Coleman will investigate how DDX3X mutations contribute to aberrant SG assembly and MB formation on a molecular level, by utilizing novel CRISPR-generated models of DDX3X-driven MB in combination with super-resolution microscopy and innovative RNA/protein interactome studies. Dr. Coleman is also developing a high-throughput screening platform to identify potential compounds for treating DDX3X-driven MB through specific targeting of SG assembly in vitro, uncovering potential candidates for drug discovery in childhood brain tumors.

Biography

Dr. Coleman completed her doctorate at King’s College London as part of the Medical Research Council’s Doctoral Training Partnership. She was awarded the King’s Outstanding Thesis Award for her doctoral studies, in which she investigated how RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) contribute to osteosarcoma tumorigenesis. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she is currently a research associate at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institution and postdoctoral affiliate of Newham College. Dr. Coleman’s research focuses on improving our understanding of how RBPs and RNA structures contribute to pediatric malignancies, including childhood brain tumors such as MB.

Acknowledgement of Support

“I am honored to be awarded the AACR-Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation Medulloblastoma Research Fellowship and feel immensely grateful for this opportunity to lay the groundwork for my independent career. This fellowship will enable important work into the molecular basis of DDX3X-driven medulloblastoma, accelerating the discovery of new treatments for childhood patients.”