The Jensen Lab is interested in both benign and malignant brain tumor angiogenesis, biology, and developing novel treatment and imaging modalities for these tumors. The first emphasis is on the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) in malignant brain tumor angiogenesis and growth. We are currently using siRNA techniques to inhibit HIF-1 in mouse tumor models with hopes of initiating human clinical trials in the near future. A second emphasis is toward an understanding of the biology of and the treatment of unresectable or recurrent meningiomas.
Current investigations include the use of calcium channel antagonists to potentiate common chemotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of meningiomas. The third is developing animal models to facilitate rigorous testing of new imaging techniques. Our final branch of investigation is how cancer stem cells are affected by hypoxia in vitro and in vivo.
