Student Profile: Chadni Patel

Research Summary
Although chemotherapies have significantly improved overall survival in cancer patients, especially pediatric cancer patients, the current drugs are associated with detrimental side effects such as cognitive impairment, or “chemobrain”. Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI) comprises objectively measurable deficits as well as subjective symptoms that include trouble with verbal and visual memory, difficulty with concentration and confusion. Despite extensive research into the multifactorial causes of CICI, there are no FDA approved drugs to reduce its severity. The quality of life for patients is compromised, and research needs to be performed to improve these conditions. My project’s goal is to address the poorly-understood mechanism of CICI by studying changes in blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Moreover, not all cancer patients are at equal risk for CICI making it important to identify susceptible patients. To this end, my project will also focus on APOE (Apolipoprotein E) and how the E4 allele of APOE, which causes a weakened BBB, will accelerate the BBB disruption, and induce more severe cognitive deficits relative to the E3 allele of APOE in a juvenile rat model. The experimental outcome will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms relative to the BBB and how that is related to the cognitive dysfunction post-chemotherapy exposure for not only pediatric cancer patients, but also adult cancer patients, as we are investigating two commonly used chemotherapies: methotrexate and doxorubicin. It will also allow us to identify patients who are more susceptible to CICI and to examine novel therapeutics to improve the clinical treatment of CICI.