Diffuse midline glioma (DMG) is a universally fatal pediatric brain tumor with no curative treatments beyond transient responses to radiation therapy. This project investigates how interactions between DMG cells and surrounding neurons within the tumor microenvironment contribute to radiation resistance. Through this work, Dr. Filbin aims to identify novel therapeutic strategies that disrupt these interactions and improve the efficacy of radiation therapy for children with this devastating disease.
Dr. Mariella Filbin is the Endowed Jan Paradise Chair in Brain Cancer Research and the Co-Director of the Brain Tumor Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital, and an Associate Professor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Filbin has pioneered cutting-edge single-cell approaches to dissect the cellular states and developmental hierarchies of pediatric brain tumors, particularly high-grade gliomas. Her group focuses on understanding how cell fate decisions and therapeutic resistance are governed by cell intrinsic mechanisms and the surrounding microenvironment, with the goal of uncovering new druggable targets.