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Chromosomal catastrophes are frequent in cancer cells
Chromosomal catastrophes can contribute to the addition of new mutations. This confocal microscopy image pictures brain metastatic cells from lung cancer: blue — nuclei; red — mitochondria.
Overview
Metastatic brain cancer is the most common type of brain cancer in adults. Approximately 200,000 new patients are diagnosed with a metastatic brain cancer in the United States each year. This number has been increasing steadily despite improved medical and surgical therapies. The Metastatic Brain Cancer Lab is exploring the causes of metastasis in brain cancer to uncover leading-edge treatment strategies.
The primary mission of Dr. Chaichana's laboratory is to:
- Isolate the cells with the highest propensity for metastasizing to the brain
- Identify the genetic and molecular changes that allow these cells to enter the brain
- Find new ways to suppress and treat metastatic brain cancer
The Metastatic Brain Cancer Lab has been funded by intramural, extramural and NIH grant awards, and has collaborators at Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others.
About Dr. Chaichana
Kaisorn L. Chaichana, M.D., is a neurosurgeon who specializes in treating brain tumors. He is also an associate professor of neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. Dr. Chaichana's Metastatic Brain Cancer Lab is based in the Griffin Building at Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville, Florida.