Brian Tung, School of Medicine Class of 2022

After four years of researching more effective ways to combat glioblastoma multiforme—a lethal brain tumor that has a median survival of roughly 18 months, despite aggressive treatments that include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation—Brian Tung, a first-year medical student at New York Medical College’s (NYMC) School of Medicine (SOM) saw the fruits of his labors, when his study was published in the peer-reviewed journal, BMC Cancer in October 2018.

According to Mr. Tung, for patients with glioblastoma multiforme, the dismal prognosis can be explained by a select population of cells, called cancer stem cells, which are resistant to chemotherapy drugs and cause tumor regrowth. “Glioblastoma was the first cancer to undergo complete genetic analysis in The Cancer Genome Atlas, and yielded findings that show how these tumors at a cellular level can be variable, with different sets of mutations promoting tumor growth. The tumor itself is comprised of many different cell types, of which certain types may be resistant to treatment.”

In his study and subsequent article, Krüppel-like factor 9 and histone deacetylase inhibitors synergistically induce cell death in glioblastoma stem-like cells, for which Mr. Tung, Class of 2022 is the first author, “We were interested in a protein called, Krüppel-like factor 9 (KLF9), and its ability to bind DNA to turn specific genes on and off. The idea is that changes in gene expression can make these cells more treatment-sensitive, bolstering the effects of chemotherapy,” he says. “Our lab's previous studies have shown that expressing this protein at levels higher than normal can slow cancer stem cell growth and cause it to change its cell type to another, via a process known as differentiation. Ultimately, we found in this study that KLF9 was able to enhance the cancer-killing capabilities of chemotherapy on brain cancer cells.”

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor that often evades even the most advanced treatments available. “Sadly, it has claimed the lives of many, including Joseph “Beau” Biden III, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, and more recently, Senator John McCain. It kills about 15,000 people in the United States each year,” Mr. Tung explains.  

As a Neuroscience major at Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Tung encountered many patients with brain and spinal cord tumors during his time working as a student at the institution’s hospital. That time spent with patients in the outpatient clinic and operating room inspired Mr. Tung’s interest in research, with hopes of improving patient care and quality of life. “Having learned in my undergraduate studies that patients with glioblastoma rarely lived beyond two years, I was resolute in contributing to the research efforts in tackling this deadly disease,” he explains. “The median survival length in the 1990s was about ten months and nearly 30 years later, the median survival has nearly doubled. Despite our growing knowledge of the disease and the gradual discoveries of novel treatments, there is still a lot that we can learn to optimize our armamentarium of therapies targeting brain cancer.”