Jeffrey C. Allen, MD

A Brain Tumor Research Center at NYU School of Medicine was established in 1992 with an award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to support a tumor bank, a patient database, and five research projects concentrating on: 1) tumor suppressor genes in genetically high risk pediatric brain tumor populations, 2) interaction of recessive and dominant oncogenes, 3) growth factors, 4) cell adhesion molecules, and 5) cellular immunology. The tumor bank has accrued over 3000 frozen/formalin fixed human brain, spinal and peripheral nerve tumor specimens and the patient and neurofibromatosis database tracks over patients. This unique resource facilitates many institutional and collaborative research projects and is funded by grants from the Making Headway Foundation. The Brain Tumor Research Center also facilitates clinical research neuro-oncology protocols, both institutional and cooperative group trials, and actively engages in pharmaceutical collaborations. The NYU Comprehensive Neurofibromatosis Center was initiated in 2008 and is rapidly evolving with acquisition of new staff members. We received a coveted award to become a member of the NF Clinical Trials Consortium in 2011 which offers our patients with NF1 and NF2 access to advanced clinical trials.