Mutations in the HRAS gene are linked
to several cancers – including colon
cancer, lung cancer, and pancreatic
cancer – but prior to this study have
not been linked to glioblastoma.
“These results indicate the mutation is
associated with tumor initiation in this
family,” says Dr. Wang, who received
two years of training in genomic
analysis using the newest technologies
during her post-doctoral work.
Further, the team found two
more gene mutations not previously
associated with the development of
glioblastoma tumors which are not
part of the HRAS family. Now that
the three new mutations have been
identified, study must continue
to determine what role they play
in familial glioblastoma. “We will
continue to research these mutations’
functions, seeking to understand what
they do,” Dr. Wu says. “Possibly they
will tell us more about the mechanisms
of glioblastoma development.”
Translational research:
Working together as a team
When a clinician like Dr. Fonkem
collaborates with a laboratory researcher
like Dr. Wu, they are practicing what is
known as translational research. “The
idea is taking something from the
clinic to the lab,” says Dr. Fonkem.
Translational research is an important
practice at Baylor Scott & White
Health, because it allows the sharing
of ideas between the clinic and the
laboratory. “What we’re trying to do is
to have our researchers and clinicians
working on projects simultaneously,”
Dr. Fonkem says.
It was this spirit of partnership
that brought Drs. Wu and Wang to
Baylor Scott & White Health. “This is
definitely the ideal environment for us
to do research,” says Dr. Wu.
Translational research also puts
the Neuroscience Institute on track
to become a leader in tumor research,
Dr. Fonkem says. “What makes us
unique at Baylor Scott & White
Health is we’re not just a healthcare
system delivering clinical care, we’re
“It became apparent
to us all that
these three family
members could
not have this
disease just by
coincidence.”
—Ekokobe Fonkem, MD
also on the forefront of delivering new
knowledge.” This is evidenced by the
gene mutation discovered to be present
in the Dela Rosa members diagnosed
with glioblastoma. “Collectively, we
were able to describe these three new
mutations which have never been
described before,” Dr. Fonkem says.
Working alongside clinicians such as
Dr. Fonkem gives researchers access
to patients, which helps translate
their work from the theoretical to the
practical, Dr. Wu says.
The team approach allows
participants to contribute their own
expertise, as well. “Everybody has
limited time and focused knowledge in
their field. Nobody can do everything
by themselves,” Dr. Wang says. “Our
goal is to work together to get better
diagnostic tools and better therapeutic
strategies for glioblastoma patients.”
In the past, Dr. Fonkem says,
physicians and researchers generally had
a more difficult time communicating,
which resulted in duplicated efforts
and longer times between medical
breakthroughs. “It’s a pleasure to have
these kinds of great scientists working
alongside us in order to benefit the
patient,” Dr. Fonkem says.
Further efforts and the future
The researchers still have much work
to do before they are ready to publish
their findings in a medical journal,
says Dr. Fonkem, and have not yet
answered their original question—why
did glioblastoma affect three members
of the same family? “That work is
currently playing out in a lab; we’re
trying to find out why,” he says.
The team members all hope this
research ultimately contributes to better
therapeutic options for patients with
glioblastoma. “We want to understand
how these genes contributed to
glioblastoma progress and initiation, so
we can offer patients better options in
the future,” says Dr. Wang. n
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