Christine A. Pratilas, MD

I am a pediatric oncologist with a special interest in the development of novel therapies for children with different types of cancer. As a member of the Pediatric Developmental Therapies team, I am involved in clinical care, clinical research, and laboratory research, with the goal of improving the treatment of children diagnosed with cancer.

I work with other investigators through POETIC (Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigator Consortium), a collaboration between multiple centers around the country whose mission is the development of biologically targeted therapies for recurrent cancer in children. POETIC was established in 2002 with the intent of increasing patients' access to new agents in clinical trials.

My laboratory research is focused on the development of molecularly targeted agents, such as those that work against signaling pathways important for the growth and survival of cancer cells. I have conducted laboratory studies of a cancer-promoting gene called BRAF, which is active in cancers such as melanoma. I also study signaling pathways involved in pediatric soft tissue sarcomas. This research holds promise for identifying new therapeutic targets.