UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA INFORMATION:
STOP! Children’s Cancer of Palm Beach County, Inc.
Professorship in Pediatric Oncology, University of Florida

The professorship is currently held by Dr. Joanne Lagmay and supports her research, as well as Dr. Brian Stover who she has research collaborations and mentors clinically. Drs. Lagmay and Stover have been working with Dr. Elias Sayour and Dr. John Ligon in a research collaboration. Dr. Lagmay is a co-investigator for a first in its kind osteosarcoma trial soon to enroll patients. Dr. Lagmay also has several other research collaborations on pediatric sarcomas with UF Biomedical Engineering, looking at measuring circulating tumor cells as a diagnostic tool (“liquid biopsy”, a simple blood test) for early relapse and follow response to treatment. She also runs an investigator-initiated phase 2 trial using a novel drug Tazemetostat in patients with advanced malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, one of the most aggressive sarcomas that most often do not respond to traditional chemotherapy.

Collaborations with the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Biomedical Research Institute in Jupiter: Dr. Elias Sayour and Dr. John Ligon have worked with Dr. Tim Spicer who does 3D modeling, and with Dr. Michalina Janiszewska studying the glioma tumor microenvironment.
Drs. Lagmay and Spicer are both co-investigators on a Florida DOH Bankhead-Coley infrastructure grant. UF is applying to enhance sarcoma tumor biobanking across the state of Florida. Dr. Lagmay is integral to the entire project as the Solid Tumor Program Director and the Sarcoma DSG Research Leader. Dr. Spicer is using his expertise in 3D modeling to generate new models to test novel treatments against sarcomas. Dr. John Ligon is the PI on the grant.

Michalina Janiszewska, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Molecular Medicine
The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute
For Biomedical Innovation & Technology

Dr. Janiszewska’s lab is part of the UF Health Center (UFHCC), and collaborations include:

• UF Center for Brain Tumor Therapy lab meetings and seminar series. Through the Center, Dr. Janiszewska about potential collaborations and with Dr. Elias Sayour (Neurosurgery and Pediatrics) about potential for obtaining samples from clinical trials.

• American Cancer Society Institutional Research – They are using AI to predict mutations in brain tumor tissue.

• Dr. Janiszewska’s is a member of the advisory board at the Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research, housed at UF and working towards an accessible biobank for brain tumor researchers located in Fl and outside.