Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)Our research is focused on this deadly pediatric brainstem tumorDiffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)Our research is focused on this deadly pediatric brainstem tumor
DIPGs Exhibit Distinct Molecular ProfilesThis unique biology may help explain its poor response to conventional glioma treatmentsDIPGs Exhibit Distinct Molecular ProfilesThis unique biology may help explain its poor response to conventional glioma treatments
Exploring DIPG Molecular ProfilesTumor molecules detected in tissue and spinal fluid may be exploited as biomarkers of disease and novel therapeutic targetsExploring DIPG Molecular ProfilesTumor molecules detected in tissue and spinal fluid may be exploited as biomarkers of disease and novel therapeutic targets
Histone 3 K27M MutationMolecular profiles of pediatric-high grade gliomas differ significantly by tumor location and mutation statusHistone 3 K27M MutationMolecular profiles of pediatric-high grade gliomas differ significantly by tumor location and mutation status
Histone 3 K27M MutationWe are investigating how this important mutation affects DIPG response to therapyHistone 3 K27M MutationWe are investigating how this important mutation affects DIPG response to therapy
Our Mission
Our lab studies the biology of pediatric brain tumors to identify and test novel molecular targets for more effective therapies. Our overarching research goal is to identify biomarkers of disease and develop new therapeutic strategies to improve clinical outcomes for children with brain tumors. Read more about our work
News & Events
Dr. Saratsis will deliver a Plenary Presentation, Liquid Biopsy for Detection of Histone H3 Mutations in Pediatric Diffuse Midline Gliomas, during the 87th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons on April 17, 2019. This work will be awarded the AANS Tumor Section Columbia Softball Award for best Pediatric Tumor Abstract.Dr. Saratsis’s research is now featured in a video from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular biology.
Dr. Saratsis was invited to present her team’s collaborative research, Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Sequencing Reveals Epigenetic Dysregulation of Gene Expression and BET Inhibition as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy as a guest at the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons 2018 Annual Meeting, Key West, FL.
Darian Esfahani, a neurosurgery resident in Dr. Saratsis’s lab, presented Pre-Clinical Analysis of Tenascin-C as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Pediatric Brainstem Glioma at the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery, 46th Annual Meeting, Houston TX, December 3, 2017.
Dr. Saratsis was awarded the Dixon Translational Research Grant Innovation Award from the Northwestern Memorial Faculty Foundation for her project, Cracking the Histone Code: A Novel Epigenetic Approach to Pediatric Glioma Diagnosis and Treatment. This work is in collaboration with Dr. Paul Thomas and the Northwestern University Proteomics Core.
Dr. Saratsis and her colleagues in pediatric neuro-oncology at Lurie Children’s Hospital were awarded the Emerging Research Grant from the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation for an additional two years (2019-2020) to support their work, Clinical Study of Epigenetic Targeted Therapy for Pediatric Malignant Glioma.
Dr. Saratsis was invited to present Precision Medicine Approaches to DIPG: The Role of Liquid Biopsy for the DIPG Round Table Consortium at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC, October 1-2, 2018.
Dr. Saratsis was invited to discuss Improving the Health and Care of All Children at the BMO Harris Women in Philanthropy Private Event, Pomellato Chicago IL, November 6, 2018.
Dr. Saratsis was featured in April 2018 in the American Brain Tumor Association Educational Webinar Series, where she discussed Use of Liquid Biopsy in Pediatric Brain Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment.
Dr. Saratsis
- Part 1: Tragedy, Bravery
and a Very Big Miracle - Part 2: Picking Up and Going
- Part 3: Then There Were Angels
Dr. Saratsis was featured NBC 5 Chicago for her work with the John McNicholas Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to advance the science and treatment of pediatric brain tumors.
Meet Dr. Saratsis, featured in this video from Lurie Children’s Hospital
Dr. Saratsis’s lab has detected pediatric brain tumor mutations in cerebrospinal fluid. These findings were published in April in Acta Neuropathologica
Dr. Saratsis and Dr. Rishi Lulla (pediatric neuro-oncology) were awarded the 2017 Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation Emerging Research Grant for their research investigating epigenetic factors contributing to pediatric malignant glioma formation. Read more about this project here
Congratulations to Tina Huang for being selected as a finalist in the 13th Annual Lewis Landsberg Research Day at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine for her project, Epigenetic Analysis of Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Pediatric Glioma Tissue
Congratulations to Tina Huang for selection of her project, Epigenetic Analysis of Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Pediatric Glioma Tissue, to be presented at the 4th Biennial Society for Neuro-Oncology Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Basic and Translational Research Conference
Congratulations to Jin Qi for selection of her project, In Vitro and in Vivo analysis of Tenascin-C Expression in Pediatric Brainstem Glioma to be presented at the 4th Biennial Society for Neuro-Oncology Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Basic and Translational Research Conference
Dr. Saratsis was invited to present her research in the 2017 DIPG Symposium, hosted by the DIPG Collaborative
Amanda Saratsis, MD is part of a collaborative research team that has found a molecule that stops the growth of an aggressive pediatric brain tumor. Their findings are featured in stories from Northwestern Medicine and Lurie Children’s Hospital. Nature Medicine has an advanced online publication of their research
Watch Amanda Saratsis, MD in this Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute video highlighting patient care and cancer research
Selected Publications
Piunti A, Hashizume R, Morgan MA,
Panwalkar P, Clark J, Ramaswamy V, Hawes D, Yang F, Dunham C, Yip S, Hukin J, Sun Y, Schipper M, Chavez L, Margol A, Pekmezci M, Chung C, Banda A, Bayliss J, Curry S, Santi M, Rodriguez M, Snuderl M, Karajannis M, Saratsis AM, Horbinski C, Carret A, Wilson B, Johnston D, Lafay-Cousin L, Zelcer S, Eisenstat D, Silva M, Scheinemann K, Jabado N, McNeely PD, Kool M, Pfister SM, Taylor MD, Hawkins C, Korshunov A, Judkins AR, Venneti S. Immunohistochemical analysis of H3K27me3 is a powerful independent predictor of outcome to guide precision medicine in children with posterior fossa ependymomas. Acta Neuropathol. 2017 Nov;134(5):705-714. PMID: 28733933
Unruh D, Mirkov S, Wray B, Drumm M, Lamano J, Li YD, Haider QF, Javier R,
Huang T, Garcia R, Qi J, Lulla RR, Horbinski CM, Behdad A, Wadwhani N, Shilatifard A, James CD, Saratsis AM. Immunohistochemical detection of Histone H3 post-translational modifications and K27M mutation correlates with clinical outcomes in pediatric glioma. Oncotarget. 2018 Dec 14;9(98):37112-37124. PMID: 30647848
Li D, Shokuhfar T, Pantalone J, Rothstein B, Alden TD, Shaibani A, Saratsis AM. Choroidal Artery Embolization in the Management of Cerebrospinal Fluid Overproduction: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Journal of Neurosurgery Pediatrics, Accepted Jan 2019, Publication Pending.
Huang TY, Piunti A, Lulla R, Qi J, Horbinski CM, Tomita T, James CD, Shilatifard A, Saratsis AM. Detection of Histone H3 Mutations in Cerebrospinal Fluid-Derived Tumor DNA from Children with Diffuse Midline Glioma. Acta Neuropathol Commun. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2017 Apr 17;5(1):28. PMID: 28416018
Piunti A, Hashizume R, Morgan MA,
