Fellowship Colin Williams: Discovering Radiosensitizers for DIPG Through Zebrafish-Based Screening

ABSTRACT Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is an aggressive pediatric brain tumor with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Radiation therapy is the primary treatment; however, TP53 mutations, present in 71% of DIPG cases, lead to radioresistance and worse patient outcomes. This project leverages zebrafish models and cell culture systems to evaluate nine FDA-approved drug candidates identified in a zebrafish screen for their potential as radiosensitizers for p53 mutant DIPG. In addition to advancing preclinical development of these novel DIPG therapies, this project will provide Colin Williams, an undergraduate researcher, with comprehensive training in pediatric oncology research. Colin will gain hands-on experience in zebrafish xenograft models, cell culture, fluorescence imaging, apoptosis assays, and metabolic profiling. This fellowship will foster his development as a scientist and prepare him for a career in biomedical research, focusing on childhood cancer.