How cancer immunotherapy affects the brain

Gust Lab

The Gust lab studies how cancer treatment and inflammation affect the developing brain. Seattle Children’s is a leader in pediatric cancer immunotherapy, and the mission of our lab is to develop methods of delivering this therapy as safely as possible.

Research Projects

CAR T Cell Trafficking to Infiltrating Gliomas

This project uses in vivo two-photon imaging in a mouse model to track chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells as they traffic into brain tumors.

Clinical Biomarkers of CAR T Cell Neurotoxicity

This project investigates whether biomarkers in serum, cerebrospinal fluid, or on brain imaging can predict neurotoxicity risk and measure brain injury in pediatric cancer immunotherapy patients.

Mechanism of CAR T Cell Neurotoxicity

We study the effects of CD19-directed CAR T cell therapy on the brain microvasculature in an immunocompetent mouse model.