CERN Foundation Awards 2020 Scientific Fellow
— Categories: CERN Research Articles Press Release Posted on January 17, 2020
At the 2019 CERN Foundation Annual Meeting, held during the Society for Neuro-Oncology’s Annual Meeting in November, the CERN Foundation announced the latest distinguished scientific fellowship award. The CERN and Robert Connor Dawes Scientific Fellowship awarded by the National Brain Tumor Society provides a competitive award for pediatric ependymoma research.
Chan Chung, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow in the Venneti Lab at the University of Michigan, is the recipient of the 2020-2021 CERN and Robert Connor Dawes Scientific Fellowship.
CERN and Robert Connor Dawes Scientific Ependymoma Fellowship awarded by the National Brain Tumor Society
As the recipient of the CERN and Robert Connor Dawes fellowship, Dr. Chung plans to focus on targeting childhood ependymoma by interrupting metabolic pathways, specifically in posterior fossa ependymomas (PFA). The ultimate outcome is to better define the protein EZHIP to drive the growth and biology of PFA ependymoma cells. This work is based on his discovery of a metabolic vulnerability driven by EZHIP in PFA ependymomas.
Dr. Chung’s proposal is focused with a clear path of basic mechanism and genomic investigation leading to potential clinical application. The aims of the proposed research efforts are focused and intertwined. His aim is to determine if EZHIP alters the TCA cycle metabolism. Dr. Chung’s further aims are to determine if IDH1 activity regulates global H3K27me3 and determine if inhibiting this pathway is therapeutic.
Under the fellowship, Dr. Chung is also proposing an innovative multidisciplinary approach to provide a detailed understanding of how the EZHIP and H3K27me3/H3K27ac drives the TCA cycle and how metabolites alter epigenetic pathways in PFA ependymomas. Dr. Chung’s efforts will further his education and training in pediatric neuro-oncology, cancer metabolism and epigenetics.
Dr. Chung’s research is under the leadership of Associate Professor Sriram Venneti M.D., Ph.D.
Fellowship Update:
Discoveries from the 2020 CERN Robert Connor Dawes Pediatric Fellowship, supported by the National Brain Tumor Society, to Dr. Chan Chung in Dr. Sriram Venneti’s laboratory at the University of Michigan, were instrumental in helping to win an esteemed $3 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Read full article.