Welcome to the Gutmann Laboratory

Using neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) as a model system, the Gutmann laboratory aims to characterize the genomic, genetic, cellular and molecular factors that contribute to the development of nervous system tumors (gliomas and neurofibromas) and cognitive problems (learning and behavioral deficits). The goal of this work is to establish new treatments for people with NF, and to better understand related medical problems in the general population, including adult and childhood brain tumors, nerve tumors, sarcoma and autism.

Using Mathematics to Treat Brain Tumors

Nearly one in every five children with NF1 will develop a brain tumor involving the nerve that carries vision from the eye to the brain (optic nerve). In an effort to identify more effective tumor therapies, advanced mathematic approaches were applied to whole tumor RNA sequencing data. Read further about Dr Yuan Pan’s recent study showing how these mathematics approaches can potentially be used to better predict tumor treatment response.
New Cell of Origin for Optic Gliomas Identified

Children with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are prone to the development of low-grade brain tumors affecting the nerve carrying vision to the brain, called the optic nerve. Where these tumors come from has been a matter of scientific debate. Anne Solga, PhD, along with NF Center and the University of California-San Diego colleagues, now report that optic gliomas develop from both neural stem cells and progenitor cells. Read more about their recent publication in the journal Oncotarget.
Genetic Cause for Neurofibromas Discovered

While virtually all adults with NF1 develop benign tumors associated with nerves, called neurofibromas, these tumors can also arise in people without NF1. In individuals with NF1, neurofibromas are caused by mutations in the NF1 gene; however, the genetic cause for sporadic tumors was previously unknown. Read more about how Corina Anastasaki, PhD, recently found mutations in a gene that likely are responsible for the development of the neurofibromas in some individuals without NF1.
NF Center Faculty Awarded Prestigious Francis S. Collins Scholars Award

Angela C. Hirbe, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at Washington University, was recently selected as a 2017 recipient of the Francis S. Collins Scholars Award in Neurofibromatosis Clinical and Translational Research. The award was established to build a community of exceptional clinician scientists who will lead neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) research and clinical care.
New Treatment for NF1 Malignant Cancer

Young adults with NF1 are at risk for developing a rare type of sarcoma called a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST). In their recent report, Angela C. Hirbe, MD, PhD and her colleagues used a combination of several chemotherapy drugs prior to surgery for MPNST treatment, and demonstrated that 60% of patients treated before surgery exhibited a response to this combination. Read further on how these exciting data show that MPNSTs can shrink in response to chemotherapy.
Gutmann Awarded International Fellowships

David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, Germany’s highest academic award for researchers outside the country, and has been named an Einstein Visiting Fellow by the Berlin Institute of Health. Dr. Gutmann will be working with the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, co-leading a team to investigate the relationship between a type of brain cell, known as microglia, and neurological diseases, including brain tumors and autism.
NF Center Trainee Publishes World’s Largest Study on Brainstem Tumors in Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1)

Children with NF1 are at risk for developing brain tumors. While much is known about the more common optic pathway gliomas, comparatively less is known about NF1-associated brainstem gliomas. To learn more about these tumors, Dr. Jasia Mahdi and her colleagues worked with investigators at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC.
Corina Anastasaki, PhD Promoted to Senior Research Scientist

Corina Anastasaki, PhD has recently been promoted to the role of Senior Research Scientist in the Gutmann laboratory. While she will remain active in fundamental laboratory research, she is also guiding the scientific direction of translational research in the Center, and has assumed public outreach responsibilities aiming to bring the NF Center to the public.
$3.5 Million Funds Study Aimed at Applying Precision Medicine to Rare Tumor Disorder

David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor and director of the Neurofibromatosis Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, received a $3.5 million grant to study why people with the same genetic mutation develop markedly different signs and symptoms.
NF Center Researchers Identify a New Growth Regulatory Circuit Critical for Malignant Glioma Survival

Glioblastoma (GBM) are the most malignant brain tumor in adults, with over 13,000 people in the United States dying from these cancers each year. Read more about how Dr. Yuan Pan, and her colleagues at the Washington University NF Center, focused research on how tumor growth in this class of GBM is controlled.
Michelle Wegscheid, MD/PhD trainee, Joins the Gutmann Laboratory

The laboratory of Dr. David Gutmann at the Washington University Neurofibromatosis (NF) Center welcomes Michelle Wegscheid as an MD/PhD trainee in the Neurosciences Program at Washington University. With her experience and skill set, she hopes to advance our understanding of brain development in individuals with NF1.

Welcome to the Gutmann Laboratory

Using Mathematics to Treat Brain Tumors

New Cell of Origin for Optic Gliomas Identified

Genetic Cause for Neurofibromas Discovered

NF Center Faculty Awarded Prestigious Francis S. Collins Scholars Award

New Treatment for NF1 Malignant Cancer

Gutmann Awarded International Fellowships

NF Center Trainee Publishes World’s Largest Study on Brainstem Tumors in Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1)

Corina Anastasaki, PhD Promoted to Senior Research Scientist

$3.5 Million Funds Study Aimed at Applying Precision Medicine to Rare Tumor Disorder

NF Center Researchers Identify a New Growth Regulatory Circuit Critical for Malignant Glioma Survival

Michelle Wegscheid, MD/PhD trainee, Joins the Gutmann Laboratory