Brian Nieman

Research Description

As success with treating pediatric brain cancers has grown, it has also become clear that there are frequently debilitating side effects to the radiation and chemotherapy treatments that have improved survival. These side effects are known to include neurocognitive and behavioural deficits, but the mechanism by which they develop remains unclear. Dr. Nieman’s lab is characterizing the neuroanatomical consequences of treatment that are associated with treatment side effects and investigating genetic factors that might mitigate them.

It is well recognized that cancers are composed of a diverse group of cells. Advances in cancer diagnoses and treatments must account for this heterogeneity and target the cells most responsible for sustaining or repopulating the cancer. Thus, characterizing the distribution of different cell types and determining their activity remain fundamental parts of cancer research. The ability to do so in three-dimensions, and even non-invasively, would greatly improve our understanding of how cancers progress and how cells — both normal and cancer — respond to treatment. Dr. Nieman’s lab is developing imaging methods to achieve this aim, primarily focusing on magnetic resonance imaging and optical imaging technologies.