Taylor Schanel, GS4Taylor Schanel (GS4) has been appointed as a predoctoral trainee on a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Training Program in Brain Tumor Biology T32 grant for her investigation into underlying mechanisms of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) efficacy in brain cancer.
Schanel is currently a Neuroscience Theme Ph.D. candidate in the UAB Graduate Biomedical Sciences (GBS) program and is sponsored by UAB Department of Radiation Oncology Associate Vice Chair of Translational Research and Hale-Stephens ROAR Endowed Professor Christopher Willey, M.D., Ph.D.
Schanel has worked in the Willey Lab since 2022, where she studies glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive type of brain tumor in adults. Her research into TTFields, a cancer therapy that uses low-energy electrical fields to interrupt or slow down tumor growth, holds promise for reshaping treatment options and improving outcomes for patients with this deadliest form of brain cancer.
T32 grant
The NINDS program, under the directorship of Anita Hjelmeland, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, is designed to prepare highly motivated pre-doctoral and M.D./Ph.D. students like Schanel for careers in fundamental and translational brain tumor research. Trainees submit applications and are selected based on their commitment to neuro-oncology research and their performance during the first two years of the UAB Graduate Biomedical Sciences Program. NINDS has provided funding for Schanel and two other pre-doctoral trainees in 2024.
“Taylor is a motivated graduate student and a pleasure to have in the lab,” Willey said. “This T32 from the UAB Brain Tumor Training Grant is not only a great accolade but an outstanding opportunity to further Taylor’s training as part of this formal program led by Dr. Anita Hjelmeland. This award is a testament to her science and her grant writing. We are hopeful that her amazing score on her F31 fellowship application with NIH will be awarded later this year. I could not be more proud of how she is doing!”
Schanel is one of four graduate students currently conducting research in Willey’s Lab. She said receiving the T32 grant means a lot to her and represents a significant milestone in her graduate school journey.
“It not only validates the importance of my research but also provides essential resources and support to advance my work,” she said. “This grant will enable me to explore new avenues, address critical questions, and ultimately contribute to meaningful progress in my field. It also serves as a recognition of the potential impact of my efforts, motivating me to continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge and innovation.”
Spark of interest
Schanel’s interest in research for human health and disease was sparked at a very young age. Growing up in a small, rural town in Florida, there was limited exposure to scientific research, and as a curious and ambitious child, she begged her mother, an X-ray technician at the time, to bring her to work with her in the hospital.
“I would sit in awe as the images from MRI, X-ray, and CT scans appeared on the monitor, revealing the beautiful inner architecture of the human body,” Schanel said.
As she grew up, the strangers’ scans she observed on the monitor became those of her family’s. She watched her grandmother battle various cancers over her adult life and eventually succumb to the “Emperor of All Maladies,” adding to the growing number of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
“My grandmother’s death from cancer illuminated to me that cancer upends one’s body, family, and community alike,” Schanel said. “Likewise, it revealed to me how poorly we understand cancer biology and our too often minimally efficacious treatment options. Thus, led me to pursue research opportunities with the hopes of one day improving the lives of those suffering from cancer-related diseases.”
After high school, she left her hometown of Ocala to pursue a biology degree from Saint Thomas University in Miami before moving to Birmingham to attend graduate school in the fall of 2021.
TTFields research
GBM stands as the predominant malignant brain tumor in adults, demanding an aggressive treatment regimen involving maximal safe tumor resection (surgery), fractionated radiation, a chemotherapy drug called temozolomide (TMZ), and adjuvant TTFields.
“Despite these efforts, the prognosis for GBM remains poor, with a three-year survival rate of 5 percent,” Schanel said. “Therapeutic resistance, primarily driven by a subset of neural stem cell-like cancer cells known as brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs), underscores this challenge. While clinical evidence supports the therapeutic benefit of TTFields, the precise mechanisms of action remain elusive, hindering a comprehensive understanding of their efficacy.
“TTFields is a noninvasive, transdermal, administration of alternating low-intensity, intermediate-frequency electrical fields primarily administered in the adjuvant setting. The investigation into TTFields’ efficacy and biological mechanisms has been hindered by the limitations of immortalized in vitro models, which fail to capture the heterogeneity seen in patient GBMs. To overcome this, patient-derived xenolines (PDX) offer a more faithful representation of tumor heterogeneity, serving as an ideal model for exploration. We have recently shown, that utilizing TMZ-resistant GBM PDX-derived cells, TTFields has significant growth-inhibitory effects and delineated mechanisms contributing to TTFields sensitivity and resistance. Building upon this foundation, this proposal aims to delve into the impact of TTFields in the context of radioresistance. Access to our generated unique model of acquired radiation-resistant GBM PDX models, coupled with the Novocure inovitroTM device and expertise in the Kinome Core, positions this study to advance our understanding.
“Through comprehensive investigations, this proposal seeks to elucidate the interplay between TTFields and radioresistance, particularly in targeting the BTIC subpopulation. Investigating TTFields-induced alterations on the molecular landscape, specifically the kinome and proteome, will lead to the identification of potential therapeutic vulnerabilities. Ultimately, this work holds promise for refining treatment strategies and improving outcomes in GBM patients.”
Improved patient outcomes
Schanel said working in the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology has underlined the importance of translating bench research into clinical practice because her research extends beyond laboratory experiments and directly impacts real patients who rely on these treatments.
“Uncovering the underlying mechanisms of TTFields efficacy in the laboratory and then witnessing those advancements translate into improved patient survival through Dr. Willey’s clinical work has been an incredible experience, making the entire process even more rewarding,” she said.