Hosted by Wyss Core Faculty David R. Walt, PhD, Diagnostics Grand Rounds brings clinicians with unmet needs to the Wyss Institute. The goal of these sessions is to inform technology developers about important clinical problems that can help them direct their technology development efforts. Presenters are asked to identify diagnostic needs that will have an impact on the quality of care they deliver.
Recent progress in brain tumors has included a deeper understanding of treatment resistance mechanisms and FDA approval of new targeted and immunotherapy treatments. However, such advances have increased awareness of the need to be able to diagnostically monitor tumors over time and treatment as in other cancers. Such monitoring is uniquely difficult in brain cancers due to the unique biology and location of the brain, including the blood brain barrier, CSF inaccessibility, and concerns about safety of serial sampling of brain tissue. In this lecture Dr. Ligon will review recent progress and approaches to longitudinal diagnostic monitoring of brain tumor response and resistance and the key ways in which new technologies could have transformative impact on the field.