Welcome to the Bota Lab
Gliomas are tumors of the brain and spinal cord. Glioblastoma (WHO grade 4 malignant glioma, GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, with a two-year survival rate of less than 50% following surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Recurrence of GBM is nearly certain after the initial treatment, and there is currently no therapy proven to prolong the survival of patients after tumor recurrence. There is a desperate need for new and improved therapies to combat glioblastoma. The focus of our research is to test novel agents, to target downstream molecular mechanisms involved in tumor growth and resistance to apoptosis, and to identify specific and targetable oncogenic pathways in malignant glioma stem cells.
Cancer-related cognitive impairment (including ‘Chemobrain’) is a debilitating side-effect of cancer and cancer treatment. For instance, over 70% of women report experiencing chemobrain during chemotherapy treatment for ovarian cancer, impairing their quality of life. The focus of our research is to test novel agents aimed at targeting downstream molecular mechanisms involved in chemotherapeutic agent-induced neurotoxicity in cancer rodent models and cell culture models (neural stem cells and hippocampal neurons) to help improve the quality of life of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
The ultimate goal of our research is to improve survival and quality of life for our brain tumor patients (UCI Brain Tumor Program). Our lab work provides the scientific basis for clinical trials in patients with newly-diagnosed and recurrent malignant gliomas and other brain malignancies. To learn more about our clinical trials or to become a research participant, please visit the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCI Alpha Clinic, and UC Irvine Center for Clinical Research pages for more information.