September 20, 2023
Alexander “Sasha” Kabanov, Ph.D., Dr.Sci., is researching a new way to treat pediatric brain cancer.
“If successful, our therapy will improve medulloblastoma treatment by replacing the current radiation and chemotherapy with one that is less toxic and more effective,” said Kabanov, Mescal S. Ferguson Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
In July, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, awarded $8.4 million to various researchers. Of those awarded, Kabanov was awarded $200,000 to further his research into medulloblastoma treatments. This grant is being supported by the Strong and Courageous Hero Fund, which is a program St. Baldrick’s runs where families can fundraise in honor of their child or loved ones.
“Every child deserves a future free from the shadow of cancer. Through dedicated research and unwavering commitment, St. Baldrick’s volunteers and donors strive to illuminate the path to effective treatments for lethal childhood cancers like medulloblastoma, offering hope and healing to the youngest patients among us,” said Kathleen Ruddy, chief executive officer, St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children and is found in the back part of the brain. It can spread to other parts of the brain and spinal cord. Kabanov’s new project proposes a new way to treat these brain tumors. Current treatment requires radiation followed by a year of chemotherapy. This process fails almost half of the patients and can leave survivors with a lifelong brain injury.
Kabanov discovered that tiny extracellular vesicles called exosomes produced by a type of immune cell called macrophages travel from the bloodstream into brain tumors. This brought the idea to have exosomes carry medicine directly to the tumor. If this works, it will create a new and improved way to treat medulloblastoma without damaging the brain.
This proposal was in collaboration with Marina Sokolsky-Papkov, Ph.D., research associate professor for the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the School and part of the Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, and Timothy Gershon, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric oncologist and professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine.
“I am deeply grateful to the donors and volunteers of St. Baldrick’s for their tremendous and selfless commitment to supporting childhood cancer research,” Kabanov said. “As a health scientist dedicated to developing novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of cancer and neurological diseases, I am humbled and profoundly grateful for the selection of our project for support this year.”
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