INTERESTS
Glioblastoma stem cells, human embryonic stem cells, glioma biology, gliomagenesis, glioma therapeutics, cancer, imaging, molecular, cellular, & translational neuroscience

RESEARCH SUMMARY
Dr. Placantonakis obtained his MD/PhD degree in Neuroscience from NYU School of Medicine and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in human embryonic stem cell biology with Drs. Lorenz Studer and Viviane Tabar at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. He was also trained in Neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and Memorial Sloan-Kettering. At NYU, he is a tenure-track physician-scientist dividing his time between his neurosurgical practice and the laboratory. Dr. Placantonakis has an interest in the treatment of gliomas and brain tumors in general. The Neurosurgical Laboratory for Stem Cell Research, which is headed by Dr. Placantonakis, studies stem cell biology in the context of glioma, a malignant brain tumor. We adapt human embryonic stem cell and genetic technologies to model oncogenic processes, with the goal of understanding the early steps in glioma formation and developing translational applications, such as high-throughput drug screening and biomarker identification. Furthermore, we use genetic approaches and patients' tissue to generate models for high-grade gliomas, with emphasis on the role of stem cells in pathogenesis and new therapeutic approaches that directly target them. Our ultimate goal is to translate our laboratory findings to new therapies and diagnostic tests for patients with glioma.

Dr. Placantonakis' laboratory is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private foundations.