C. Ryan Miller

MD, PhD
Pathology & Lab Medicine
UNC-Chapel Hill
Clinical Research
Neuro-oncology Program

Area of interest

Gliomas are a diverse group of primary brain tumors currently diagnosed via the microscope and treated empirically with radiation and chemotherapy. Even with aggressive treatment, prognosis remains only ~15 months for the most malignant of these tumors, glioblastoma. Although diagnostic criteria have recently been updated to include molecular tumor features, therapy remains empirical. Novel treatment approaches that are based on the molecular alterations responsible for tumorigenesis are urgently needed.

The main goal of our work is to establish a direct link between preclinical drug development in glioma models and the rational design of molecular diagnostics-driven human clinical trials. Our laboratory uses sophisticated preclinical model systems (genetically-engineered mice and patient-derived xenografts), comprehensive genomic and proteomic molecular analyses, and developmental neurobiology techniques to address the following issues:

Dissect the genetic mechanisms of glioma tumorigenesis in order to identify molecular markers with prognostic and predictive utility
Define the role of cellular origin on disease pathogenesis
Identify novel therapeutic strategies that are effective in molecularly-defined glioma subtypes