Our Research
The research focus of Javad Nazarian, Ph.D., has been understanding the molecular pathways driving childhood brain cancers and, most importantly, finding ways for rapid translation of laboratory findings to the clinic. He has extensive expertise in forming and leading national and international collaborations and in disease/pathway-focused team building. His research groups at Children’s National Hospital and University Children's Hospital Zurich focus on developing biorepositories, disease preclinical models, performing molecular analyses, drug assays and correlative studies for ongoing clinical trials. Working in close collaboration with Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC.US), Dr. Nazarian has established a working group encompassing 16 international institutions across North America, Europe and Australia. The primary goal of the team is to generate hypothesis-derived preclinical data, test across institutions, validate using multiple preclinical DMG models, and provide input to the clinical team. The team’s goal is to accelerate the discovery of clinically translatable therapies for the treatment of childhood brain cancers.
Our laboratory is an active partner in national and international entities, including:
- Center of Excellence: Gift from A Child
- Leading PNOC DMG-ACT preclinical group
- Member of Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN)
- Lead in University Children's Hospital Zurich DIPG/DMG Research Center
- Liquid Biopsy as a screening tool for diagnosis and response to therapy for pediatric brain tumors
- Preclinical modeling and testing pharmacological therapies for targeting molecular drivers of tumor transformation in NF1 mutated gliomas