The Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium (BTEC) is an international consortium that aims to advance development of multicenter and interdisciplinary collaborations that focus on research related to the etiology, outcomes, and prevention of brain tumors. The 17th annual BTEC meeting was held in Barcelona, Spain on June 21 - 23, 2016. The meeting focused on immune and viral factors that influence brain tumor development. Fundamentals of innate and adaptive immunity were reviewed, the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in primary and secondary brain tumors was addressed, vaccination strategies for glioma treatment were presented, and the potential contribution of immune dysfunction and viruses tropic for glial cells in gliomagenesis was discussed. Further contributions addressed the risk of non-ionizing radiation, molecular and birth characteristics on brain tumor induction/outcomes, and patterns of care and effects of different treatments on brain tumor survival in the real world setting. The next BTEC meeting will be held in June 2017 in Banff, Canada, and will focus on brain tumor epidemiology in the era of precision medicine.
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The Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium (BTEC) is an international consortium that aims to advance the development of multicenter and interdisciplinary collaborations that focus on research related to the etiology, outcomes, and prevention of brain tumors. The 18^th annual BTEC meeting was held in Banff, AB, Canada, on June 27 - 29, 2017. The meeting focused on the intersection between epidemiology and precision medicine, that is, the use of molecular indicators of risk, early disease and prognosis or precision epidemiology. While traditional epidemiologic approaches group large numbers of participants for statistical power, precision epidemiology is founded on the uniqueness and biology of individual disease characteristics. With this in mind, plenary speakers described the molecular heterogeneity of adult and pediatric brain tumors and how those characteristics are currently being used to guide therapy and etiologic research. Rare subtypes and novel mechanisms for recruitment of individuals for research on brain tumors were discussed along with concepts and methodology related to biological and etiologic heterogeneity. The incorporation of relevant molecular classifiers into population registries was emphasized for its role in future research endeavors, ensuring the accessibility of such tools for researchers and clinicians seeking to improve the lives of individuals with brain tumors and those at risk. The next BTEC meeting will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 2018.
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The Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium (BTEC) is an international consortium that aims to foster multicenter and inter-disciplinary collaborations that focus on research related to the etiology, outcomes, and prevention of brain tumors. The 19th annual BTEC meeting was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 19 - 21, 2018. The meeting focused on forming international collaborations and integrating multiple data types for the next generation of studies in brain tumor epidemiology. The next BTEC meeting will be held in Southern California in June 2019.
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Evolutionary development of the human brain is characterized by the expansion of various brain regions. Here, we show that developmental processes specific to humans are responsible for malformations of cortical development (MCDs), which result in developmental delay and epilepsy in children. We generated a human cerebral organoid model for tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and identified a specific neural stem cell type, caudal late interneuron progenitor (CLIP) cells. In TSC, CLIP cells over-proliferate, generating excessive interneurons, brain tumors, and cortical malformations. Epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition reduces tumor burden, identifying potential treatment options for TSC and related disorders. The identification of CLIP cells reveals the extended interneuron generation in the human brain as a vulnerability for disease. In addition, this work demonstrates that analyzing MCDs can reveal fundamental insights into human-specific aspects of brain development.