Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RT) are among the deadliest pediatric brain cancers, they are rare, aggressive, and often diagnosed before a child’s third birthday. Fewer than 100 new cases are identified each year, and while survival rates have risen sharply over the past 15 years, the biological mechanisms driving this disease remain poorly understood. It is this gap that motivates my research.
As an undergraduate, I approached AT/RT biology from multiple directions. My capstone project proposed viral vectors as an alternative therapeutic approach. I also wrote a case study on spinal AT/RT, analyzing tumor location, treatment strategies, and outcomes, and I worked on yeast cell models carrying AT/RT-like mutations to study how genetic alterations intersect to disrupt cell function. These projects gave me a foundation in both mechanistic and translational research, while reinforcing my interest in this uniquely challenging tumor type.
My current focus is on the nuclear pore complex (NPC), the gatekeeper of nucleocytoplasmic transport (NCT). Although the NPC is essential to cellular regulation, how AT/RT mutations affect its structure and function remains unknown. The Yang Lab at Temple University provides the tools to address this question, using complementary super-resolution methods. STORM microscopy enables 3D mapping of NPC nano-architecture, while SPEED microscopy can reveal the organization of FG-nucleoporins and track single-molecule transport kinetics.
Through these approaches, I aim to uncover how AT/RT mutations reshape nuclear transport at the molecular level. By combining structural and functional perspectives, this work will deepen our understanding of an overlooked cellular system in AT/RT and open new directions for exploring its vulnerabilities.