Dr. Nitya Gulati has been awarded the Department of Pediatrics 2023 Pilot Award for her research project titled "Risk Stratification using Tumor Microenvironment Signatures in Primary Mediastinal B-cell Lymphoma." The project focuses on studying the tumor microenvironment so that it can be leveraged to predict outcomes and design effective treatment methods for children and young adults diagnosed with Primary Mediastinal B-cell Lymphoma (PMBCL).
PMBCL is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) primarily affecting children, adolescents, and young adults. However, optimal therapy for PMBCL remains a subject of debate, as the current approaches yield suboptimal results regardless of treatment strategy. Moreover, clinical and biological factors that can guide risk stratification and predict patient prognosis remain undefined. A well-established fact is that non-cancerous cells present in the tumor microenvironment play a crucial role in influencing and communicating with cancer cells. This knowledge has proven valuable in identifying predictive biomarkers and designing targeted therapeutic strategies for diseases like Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma and Hodgkin Lymphoma. Unfortunately, the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment in PMBCL are not well-defined.
Dr. Gulati and her team will employ cutting-edge imaging mass cytometry techniques and a custom antibody panel designed by the Weill Cornell Medicine mass cytometry lab to investigate the relationship between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment, specifically looking for distinct patterns or signatures. These patterns will be evaluated to determine if they can serve as indicators to predict a patient's response to treatment and eventually serve as therapeutic targets.
The hypothesis generated from this preliminary work by Dr. Gulati will be further tested using samples obtained from collaborating institutions and the Children's Oncology group. This collaboration will enhance the reliability and validity of the findings, ultimately contributing to the advancement of treatment strategies for children and young adults with PMBCL.
Collaborators:
Olivier Elemento, Ph.D., Director, Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Amy Chadburn, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Mikhail (Misha) Roshal, M.D., Ph.D., Attending Pathologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Christopher J. Forlenza, M.D., Attending Physician, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Hiranmayi Ravichandran, Director of Spatial Biology, Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine