Cell Lines, Animal Models and Tumor Tissue Bank

Award: $100,000 over three years
Principal investigators: Joanna Phillips, MD, PhD and Theodore Nicolaides, MD
Institution: University of California, San Francisco

Biospecimens obtained directly from the operating room during pediatric brain tumor resections are acquired, molecularly characterized and used to establish tumor cell lines and intracranial xenografts. These core resources, developed and maintained on an ongoing basis, are invaluable to help detect new therapeutic targets and to test novel therapies in animal models of the disease, guiding and improving future clinical therapies in pediatric brain tumor patients. The resources of the UCSF core facility are an essential component of the UCSF Brain Tumor Research Center. They are also made available to researchers at other institutions.