Sean Lawler, Breaking Barriers for Treating Brain Cancer

Sean Lawler, Breaking Barriers for Treating Brain Cancer

Before he joined the Brigham, Sean Lawler, PhD, of the Department of Neurosurgery, started his career as a molecular biologist. During the 1990s, Lawler studied the basic molecular underpinnings of mammalian cell communication, and gradually became interested in how to apply this knowledge clinically.

“In the trajectory of my career, I started out as a very basic scientist interested in the meaning of life, DNA, how DNA works, and all of those kinds of questions as a young man. Then as my career evolved, I became much more aware of how biology can be applied to the treatment of human disease and have a real impact on patients,” said Lawler.

A post-doc in the Department of Neurosurgery at MGH ultimately cemented Lawler’s research interest in brain tumors. “Once I started to find out more about the patients and what a devastating diagnosis glioblastoma really is, the penny dropped for me. All the things I’d learned about cell signaling were very pertinent to this disease,” said Lawler. He then went on to start a new Brain Tumor Research Lab at the University of Leeds in the UK, before returning to Boston to work at BWH in 2013.

 

Read the full article in Clinical and Research News 

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