Medulloblastoma is one of the most common aggressive brain cancers affecting children. These tumors arise when normal brain development in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination, becomes dysregulated. Dr. Ringwalt will develop a comprehensive atlas capturing how the human cerebellum develops from infancy to young adulthood, using cutting-edge sequencing technologies to measure DNA accessibility and gene activity in individual cells. By comparing healthy brain development and tumor samples from patients with the most aggressive subgroups of medulloblastoma, she aims to pinpoint where and how the developmental process goes awry, as well as how cancer cells take advantage of their environment. This work will serve as a critical resource for understanding both healthy brain development and the origins of disease, with the potential to guide new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Dr. Emily Ringwalt leverages single-cell sequencing techniques to investigate oncogenesis, cancer progression, and therapeutic mechanisms in pediatric solid tumors. She holds a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from The Ohio State University and a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame.