Pediatric neurologist at Emory, CHOA working on treatment that could reduce threat of child brain cancer

Dr. Tim Gershon, a pediatric neurologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and director of Emory University’s Children’s Center for Neurosciences Research, says he and his team found that a new drug, CT-179, can target cancer stem cells responsible for regrowth after treatment, which currently has a 100% mortality rate. (Paul Abell/AP)

Paul Abell / AP Images for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Dr. Tim Gershon, a pediatric neurologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and director of Emory University’s Children’s Center for Neurosciences Research, says he and an international team of researchers have made a significant breakthrough in researching treatments for medulloblastoma, a common brain tumor in children.

Gershon’s team has found that a new drug, CT-179, can target cancer stem cells responsible for regrowth after treatment, which currently has a 100% mortality rate.

In preclinical trials with mice, combining CT-179 with radiation therapy helped prevent tumor recurrence.