Research

Rodriguez-Blanco’s laboratory studies the biology of pediatric brain tumors. The main projects of the lab are:

  • Identifying less toxic targeted therapeutics for medulloblastoma patients.

  • Studying the efficacy of novel regulators of the growth and propagation of very high-risk forms of pediatric brain tumors.

  • Targeting the medulloblastoma stem cells to prevent cancer relapse.

Highlighted Publications:

  • Swiderska-Syn M, Mir-Pedrol J, Oles A, Schleuger O, Salvador AD, Greiner SM, Seward C, Yang F, Babcock BR, Shen C, Wynn DT, Sanchez-Mejias A, Gershon TR, Martin V, McCrea HJ, Lindsey KG, Krieg C, Rodriguez-Blanco J. Non-canonical Activation of GLI Signaling in SOX2+ cells Drives Medulloblastoma Relapse. Sciences Advances; 8(29):eabj9138 (2022). PMDI: 35857834. PMCID: PMC9299538.

  • Yang F†, Rodriguez-Blanco J†, Long J, Swiderska-Syn M, Wynn DT, Li B, Shen C, Ban Y, Sun X, Suter RK, McCrea HJ, Capobianco AJ, Ayad NG, and Robbins DJ. A druggable GLI complex containing UHRF1 and DNMT1 regulates Sonic hedgehog subgroup medulloblastoma growth. Molecular Cancer Research MCR-22-0182. (2022) † Equal author contribution. PMID: 35925047.

  • Rodriguez-Blanco J, Li, B Long J, Shen C, Orton D, Collins S, Kasahara N, Ayad N, McCrea HJ, Roussel MF, Weiss WA, Capobianco AJ, Robbins DJ. “A CK1a activator penetrates the brain, and shows efficacy against drug-resistant metastatic medulloblastoma”. Clinical Cancer Research. 25(4):1379-1388. (2019) PMID: 30487124, PMC7142219.

  • Penas, C., Maloof, M.E., Stathias, V., Long, J., Kiat, S., Tan, S.K., Mier, J., Fang, Y., Valdes, C., Rodriguez-Blanco, J., Chiang, C.M., Robbins, D.J., Liebl, D., Lee, J.K., Hatten, M.E., Clarke, J., Ayad, N.G. (2019). Time-series Modeling of Cell Cycle Exit Identifies Brd4-dependent Regulation of Cerebellar Neurogenesis. Nature Commun., 10(1), 3028. PMID: 31292434; PMCID: PMC6620341.

  • Rodriguez-Blanco J, Pednekar L, Penas C, Li B, Martin V, Long J, Lee E, Weiss WA, Rodriguez C, Mehrdad N, Nguyen DM, Ayad NG, Rai P, Capobianco AJ, Robbins DJ. “Inhibition of WNT signaling attenuates self-renewal of SHH-subgroup medulloblastoma”. Oncogene. 36(45):6306-6314. (2017) PMID: 28714964, PMC5680121.

  • Rodriguez-Blanco J, Schilling NS, Tokhunts R, Giambelli C, Long J, Liang Fei D, Singh S, Black KE, Wang Z, Galimberti F, Bejarano PA, Elliot S, Glassberg MK, Nguyen DM, Lockwood WW, Lam WL, Dmitrovsky E, Capobianco AJ, Robbins DJ. "The Hedgehog processing pathway is required for NSCLC growth and survival”. Oncogene 2; 32(18): 2335-45. (2013) PMID: 22733134, PMC3821972.

  • Rodriguez-Blanco J, Martin V, Garcia-Santos G, Herrera F, Casado-Zapico S, Antolin I, Rodriguez C. “Cooperative action of JNK and AKT/mTOR in MPP+ induced autophagy of neuronal PC12 cells”. J Neurosci Res. 90(9): 1850-60. (2012) PMID: 22513717.

  • Rodriguez-Blanco J, Martín V, Herrera F, García-Santos G, Antolín I, Rodriguez C. “Intracellular signaling pathways involved in post-mitotic dopaminergic PC12 cell death induced by 6-hydroxydopamine”. J Neurochem 107(1): 127-40. (2008) PMID: 18665912.

Complete NCBI list: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1RSl37m_VqtQVS/bibliography/public/