Yoon-Jae Cho
Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor - Med Center Line, Neurology & Neurological Sciences
- Member, Child Health Research Institute
Key Documents
Contact Information
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Clinical Offices
Pediatric Neurology 730 Welch Rd Ste 206 Palo Alto, CA 94304 Tel Work (650) 723-0993 Fax (650) 721-6350Practices at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
- Academic Offices
Personal Information EmailAlternate Contact Gayla Weng Administrative Assistant Email Tel Work 650-721-5889
Professional Overview
Clinical Focus
- Neurology - Child Neurology
- Neuro-oncology
Honors and Awards
- co-Chair, Biology Committee, Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (2012-)
- Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award, Child Neurology Society (2012)
- Beirne Faculty Scholar in Pediatirc Neuro-oncology, Stanford University (2011-)
- Scholar, St. Baldrick's Foundation (2011-)
- Faculty Development Award, Shore Fellowship Program for Scholars in Medicine, Harvard Medical School (2009-2011)
- Young Investigator Award, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (2007)
Professional Education
| Fellowship: | Children's Hospital Boston MA (2008) |
| Board Certification: | Neurology - Child Neurology, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (2009) |
| Residency: | Children's Hospital Boston MA (2007) |
| Residency: | Children's Hospital Oakland CA (2004) |
| Internship: | Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh PA (2003) |
| Medical Education: | Oregon Health Science University OR (2002) |
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
Overview
My laboratory studies childhood brain tumors with a particular focus on medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children. We utilize a mix of computational/genomic and cell biological approaches to 1) understand the molecular and cellular basis of medulloblastoma, 2) generate new treatment strategies for patients diagnosed with this disease and 3) inform the current and next generation of medulloblastoma clinical trials.
Current projects:
Functional annotation of the medulloblastoma genome
We are currently combining genome-wide RNAi with chemical biology and chemical genomic screens to systematically define the functional consequence of genes and biological pathways enriched in the most clinically aggressive subtypes of this disease.
Leveraging expression of neurotransmitter receptors for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes in medulloblastoma
Through our prior genomic analysis of medulloblastoma, we have identified a high level of expression of neurotransmitter receptors in certain subtypes of these tumors. We are now investigating whether modulation of their activity via pharmacological and genetic manipulation results in a therapeutic response. We are also taking advantage of their expression to develop biomarker / bioimaging tools for use in the clinic.
Identification of nucleotide level events in medulloblastoma using high-throughput whole exome sequencing
Using whole-exome and genome sequencing, we have identified a number of previously unreported mutations in medulloblastoma. We are functionally characterizing several of these using in vitro and in vivo assays and determining whether such events carry clinical significance in terms of prognosis, treatment response or potential for targeted therapy.
Publications
- Dissecting the genomic complexity underlying medulloblastoma. Nature. 2012; (7409): 100-5
- Medulloblastoma exome sequencing uncovers subtype-specific somatic mutations. Nature. 2012; (7409): 106-10
- Subgroup-specific structural variation across 1,000 medulloblastoma genomes. Nature. 2012; (7409): 49-56
- Integrative genomic analysis of medulloblastoma identifies a molecular subgroup that drives poor clinical outcome. J Clin Oncol. 2011; (11): 1424-30
- Activation of β-catenin/TCF targets following loss of the tumor suppressor SNF5. Oncogene. 2013
- Growth factor receptor-Src-mediated suppression of GRK6 dysregulates CXCR4 signaling and promotes medulloblastoma migration. Mol Cancer. 2013: 18
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