Malignancies arising from the neural crest or central nervous system are often aggressive and immunologically “cold”, leading to high mortality rates. Enhanced MYCN activity is known to contribute to these tumors and is a reliable predictor of disease aggressiveness and poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms through which MYCN induces such a cold TME remain incompletely understood, and strategies for overcoming this challenge are lacking. This project will combine analyses of human cells with preclinical animal models of cancer to aid the mechanistic understanding of the cold TME and identify more effective treatments with fewer toxicities for patients with neural malignancies.
