Targeting Tumor-associated Inflammatory Cells to Ameliorate Radiation-induced Cognitive Changes

Award: $150,000 over three years

Principal investigators: Nalin Gupta, MD, PhD and Susanna Rosi, PhD

Institution: University of California, San Francisco

Radiotherapy can cause late effects including progressive cognitive dysfunction. The activation of inflammatory pathways that occur along with tumor recurrence and after cranial irradiation produce many adverse effects, and no treatment is effective. The experiments proposed in this project will help provide a detailed understanding of macrophage accumulation in a rodent brain tumor model, and how modulating this response may affect cognitive performance.