Children's Hospital Los Angeles receives $ 1.6M grant for retinoblastoma study

Retinoblastoma is a retinal tumor that usually affects children under 5 and accounts for about 4% of childhood cancers. If it is not diagnosed early, retinoblastoma can result in the loss of one or both eyes and can be fatal. David Cobrinik, MD, Ph.D., of the Saban Research Institute and Vision Center at Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles, has made key discoveries to advance our understanding of this cancer. His team has shown that retinoblastoma results from an abnormal proliferation of a type of cell called cones in the retina, the photosensitive layer located behind the eye. A mutation in a tumor suppressor gene called RB effectively releases a cell growth brake, causing uncontrolled cone growth and tumor formation. Children who inherit a mutated form of BR have a greater than 95% chance of contracting retinoblastoma. Given this strong correlation, an understanding of how RB mutations affect cone cells could lead scientists to intervention in the disease.

Dr. Cobrinik received a $ 1.6M grant from the National Cancer Institute of NIH to study the causes of cone cell proliferation and tumor formation. Although the genetic mutation is identified, we still need to understand how the RB mutation affects cone cells. What makes a cancer cell? Why are cone cells vulnerable to this mutation? To answer these questions, says Dr. Cobrinik, we need to understand the normal functioning of BR and what it does to block the formation of tumors in healthy individuals. If we can understand that, says Dr. Cobrinik, we might be able to prevent the tumor process. While his research focuses on retinoblastoma, understanding how tumor suppressor genes affect healthy cells could open avenues for treating many types of cancer.

About The Children's Hospital Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Children's Hospital has been rated California's Best Children's Hospital and Canada's Sixth for Clinical Excellence by the prestigious US News and World Report Table of honor. The CHLA Saban Research Institute is one of the largest and most productive pediatric research centers in the United States. CHLA is also one of the largest teaching hospitals in the United States since its affiliation since 1932 to the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. For more information, visit CHLA.org, the Children's Health Blog and the Research Blog.

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