Dr. Johannes E Wolff is professor for pediatrics and biostatistics at the University of Texas MDAnderson Cancer Center, head of the section for pediatric neurooncology at the Children’s Cancer Hospital, and director of the pediatric neurooncology fellowship program. He is a clinically working pediatric neurooncologist taking care for children with brain tumors and their families.
His research focuses around finding the cure for those pediatric brain tumors which are still incurable, or which were left behind in research because they were too rare. For this aim he covers a large spectrum of methods ranging from the design of quality of life measurements, international clinical studies with established agents, standard phase I and phase II pharmaceutical studies for novel agents, novel clinical study design for rare diseases, novel mathematical meta-analyses methods, cell culture and translational research carrying knowledge from the laboratory to clinical reality. Until 2008 he has published over 140 articles in international scientific Journals, and written books and books several chapters, and developed a great international reputation.
Choroid plexus tumors are rare tumors more frequent in dogs than in humans. However when they occur in humans, the patients is mostly a very young child. Dr Wolff has established a large research network aiming to improve the outcome of these children. This includes the only international study specific for this disease, a study office, various cell culture projects, an international neuropathology reference center, a meta-analysis network, and most recently connections to the Texas comparative neurooncology program.
The program for personalized targeted therapy of refractory pediatric brain tumors is the youngest projects in Dr Wolff’s efforts to find the cure for children with brain tumors. In this NIH-consortium with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston the researchers design treatment according to the individual target expression inside the tumors. Typically a child comes in with a brain tumor that has grown despite standard treatment is now considered incurable. A preliminary treatment plan is designed following the traditional histological diagnosis, and the individual cancer history. While this treatment starts, the tumors are evaluated by morphoproteomics for treatment targets. Once this is done the treatment plan is modified adding novel agents to the plan. Scientifically, the program evaluates if adding the novel agents improves the cure rate. Personally, the program gives hope to families who have none.
Dr Wolff participates in the Comparative Texas Neurooncology Program as consulting specialist for brain tumor chemotherapy and clinical trials, and aims to participate in the meeting not only to provide expert advice but also receive such her further perspectives from veterinarians who are interested in taking care for dogs with brain tumors.