Researcher | Research Overview
Pediatric brain tumors and cerebrovascular disorders are two different sets of diseases however they share some similarities, such as vascular anomalies and challenging early detection.
Ed Smith's lab is interested in Axon Guidance Factors as targets and biomarkers for these pathologies. As a postdoc fellow in the Smith lab, and thanks to her expertise in Neuro-Oncology, Julie's main project focuses on the involvement of the Netrins' family in the invasion and angiogenesis of pediatric brain tumors. She performs orthotopic xenografts of brain tumor cells in mice to study tumor growth and invasiveness in response to different treatments.
Julie has also developed her expertise in Vascular Biology and works on the role of Ephrins in cerebrovascular diseases, such as AVM, Moyamoya, or Cavernous Malformations.
Ultimately, the goal of these scientific projects would be to detect these diseases earlier, thanks to new biomarkers, and to be able to treat them with the discovery and development of new therapeutic targets.
Researcher | Research Background
Julie Sesen obtained her Ph.D. in Oncology in 2013 at the Cancer Research Center of Toulouse in France. Her research in Pr. Elizabeth Moyal and Dr. Nicolas Skuli's lab focused on the role of translation initiation factors in the proliferation and radioresistance of glioblastoma.
In 2017, Julie joined the lab of Edward Smith, MD., Ph.D. as a Research Fellow at the Vascular Biology Program, Boston Children's Hospital. She leads different research projects and collaborations and has expertise in mentoring research assistants.
Julie is member of the board of the BCH Postdoc Association since November 2017 and she is now the co-Chair of the Public Affairs committee and the treasurer of the Postdoc Association. Besides research, Julie loves latin music and dances. She also loves exploring new areas around Boston and traveling around the world.