Q&A with Dr. Dimitrios Mathios: Developing a Noninvasive Blood Test to Detect Brain Cancer
November 25, 2024PhRMA Foundation awardee Dr. Dimitrios Mathios of the Washington University in St. Louis aims to use advanced DNA sequencing techniques and artificial intelligence to identify patterns of molecular changes in the blood of brain cancer patients.
Brain cancer is a devastating disease, with about 23,000 new patients and 18,000 deaths each year in the United States. Earlier detection of these tumors could help improve patient outcomes.
Dimitrios Mathios, MD, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Washington University in St. Louis, received a 2024 PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Translational Medicine for his research to develop a noninvasive blood test to diagnose brain cancer earlier.
Previous efforts to create diagnostic blood tests for brain cancer have been largely unsuccessful because very little DNA from brain tumors enters the blood due to a barrier between the brain and the bloodstream.
Mathios aims to overcome this challenge by using advanced DNA sequencing techniques to analyze brain tumors to gather more detailed information on what molecular markers to look for in the blood. Then, using artificial intelligence, Mathios will identify patterns of molecular changes that differentiate patients with brain tumors from those without one.
Watch this video to learn more about Mathios and his research.
