Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant paediatric brain tumour accounting for about 20% of all childhood brain cancers. It arises in the cerebellum and disseminates to coat the brain and spinal cord in up to 40% of children at diagnosis and in most children at the time of recurrence.
Experimental data have demonstrated that hepatocyte growth factor/Scatter factor (HGF/SF) and its receptor, the tyrosine kinase MET, act as powerful mediators for medulloblastoma cancer dissemination and its inhibition may represent a valuable strategy for targeted therapeutic intervention. A striking feature of the HGF/SF-MET signalling system is the diversity of cellular responses that follow MET activation, the basis of which lies in the activation of distinct signalling pathways downstream of MET.
In our previous work, we have identified the ability of MET to regulate the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), small gene regulatory molecules that contribute to the development and progression of cancer. In this proposal, we will try to unravel how miRNAs intersect genetic networks downstream of HGF/SF-MET signalling in medulloblastoma and develop new miRNA-based therapeutic and diagnostic strategies to hamper the progression of medulloblastoma that relies on MET activation.
Grant Award – Kidscan PhD Studentship (2017-2020)
Funding Award – £59,313
Funding Awarded To – Dr Gianpiero Di Leva
Research Location – University of Salford
Lead Researcher – Dr Gianpiero Di Leva
0161 295 3864 