Researchers Uncover Mechanism Driving Pediatric Brain Tumors

ZR fusion protein taps into normal brain development to promote cancer growth

Mar. 26, 2026 at 3:04am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A team of researchers has discovered a novel mechanism that drives the development of pediatric supratentorial ependymoma (EPN), the third most common pediatric brain tumor. The findings suggest the ZR fusion protein takes advantage of the open DNA in rapidly dividing cells during early brain development to alter gene expression and fuel tumor growth.

Why it matters

Understanding how these aggressive and chemo-resistant pediatric brain tumors develop could lead to new therapeutic approaches aimed at pushing tumor cells toward full differentiation or targeting the early progenitor population that fuels tumor growth.

The details

The researchers studied ZFTA-RELA (ZR) fusion-positive ependymoma, one of the most common types of pediatric ependymoma. ZR ependymomas occur almost exclusively in the brain cortex of young children. The ZR fusion protein, formed by a fusion between the ZFTA and RELA genes, can switch on cancer-promoting genes. However, it was unclear why this fusion protein only causes tumors during early childhood and in certain cell types.

  • The research was published in the journal Nature on March 26, 2026.

The players

Alisha Kardian

Graduate student in Baylor's Cancer and Cell Biology graduate program and first author of the study.

Dr. Stephen Mack

Associate member in the Department of Developmental Neurobiology at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and co-corresponding author of the study.

Dr. Benjamin Deneen

Professor and Dr. Russell J. and Marian K. Blattner Chair in the Department of Neurosurgery, director of the Center for Cancer Neuroscience, a member of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor, and a principal investigator at the Texas Children's Duncan Neurological Research Institute. He is also a co-corresponding author of the study.

Baylor College of Medicine

One of the institutions where the research was conducted.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

One of the institutions where the research was conducted.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Pediatric brain tumors are often thought to originate early during brain development but what drives the transformation of normal developing brain cells into cancer cells is incompletely understood.”

— Alisha Kardian, Graduate student in Baylor's Cancer and Cell Biology graduate program

“We discovered a mechanism that taps into normal brain development to drive tumor growth.”

— Alisha Kardian, Graduate student in Baylor's Cancer and Cell Biology graduate program

“Understanding these developmental vulnerabilities opens the door to new therapeutic approaches aimed at pushing tumor cells toward full differentiation or targeting the early progenitor population that fuels tumor growth.”

— Dr. Benjamin Deneen, Professor and Dr. Russell J. and Marian K. Blattner Chair in the Department of Neurosurgery, director of the Center for Cancer Neuroscience, a member of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor, and a principal investigator at the Texas Children's Duncan Neurological Research Institute

What’s next

The researchers plan to further investigate the developmental vulnerabilities uncovered in this study to explore new therapeutic approaches for these aggressive pediatric brain tumors.

The takeaway

This study provides important insights into how pediatric brain tumors can hijack normal developmental processes to drive cancer growth, opening up new avenues for targeted therapies to treat these devastating childhood cancers.