Senior Investigator, Clinical Genetics Branch at NCI
Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer in children and teens, yet treatments and outcomes are largely unchanged from the 1980’s. This makes it particularly important to Dr. Lisa Mirabello, who researches what causes osteosarcoma.
She’s especially intrigued by two peaks in the ages of people diagnosed—the first and largest around puberty, then in older adulthood. Cases in younger people likely have different genetic and environmental risk factors than those in the elderly, Lisa noted, and genomic research exploring this requires large sample sizes. “Study size is crucial,” she said. “Larger data sets allow researchers to conduct well-powered and thorough explorations of data and risk factors.” Assembling more of these data sets can happen with better access to all childhood cancer data.
With a 12-year-old son in sports, five chickens, and a house and yard full of plants, Lisa is also working hard at home gardening, hiking, and spending time with her son.