As a surgeon-scientist, Dr. Brian Nahed’s research aims to develop the first blood-based test to diagnose and monitor brain tumor patients. In collaboration with Drs. Shannon Stott, Daniel Haber, and Shyamala Maheswaran, Dr. Brian Nahed's laboratory published the first device to identify circulating tumor cells in the blood of brain cancer patients. Dr. Nahed and his colleagues can identify genetic and molecular changes in these cells, potentially opening a novel method to monitor tumors throughout chemotherapy and radiation therapy for response and changes to therapy. These findings have been published in Cancer Discovery and presented at a number of national meetings.
Expanding on this landmark discovery, Dr. Nahed’s lab focuses on developing the device into the first clinical tool to diagnose brain tumors and monitor their response to chemotherapy and radiation therapy; this advancement would provide clinicians and patients with the first real-time blood based test for diagnosis and monitoring, and testing of molecular and genetic changes in brain tumor patients without surgery.
Through Dr. Brian Nahed’s research at the Blood Based Biomarker for Brain Tumors Lab at the Massachusetts General Hospital, he is currently enrolling patients with brain tumors into the clinical research study.
For more information, visit the Nahed Brain Tumor Research Lab website or visit our contact page.