Our Research

Under the leadership of co-directors Peter M. Black, M.D., Ph.D. and Rona S. Carroll, Ph.D., this neurosurgical oncology laboratory is a unique environment for basic science researchers, medical students, international research fellows and neurosurgeons to take a multidisciplinary approach to understanding basic biology, and to develop new therapies to treat brain tumors. The current research focuses on the two types of tumors that together account for the vast majority of brain tumors: gliomas and meningiomas.

The research in the Black Laboratory addresses a broad range of issues including basic questions of tumor behavior and biology, development of targeted treatments for specific types of tumors, and understanding how environmental exposures may contribute to brain tumor growth. By examining all of these questions in parallel and using a wide variety of experimental methods we hope to get a more comprehensive understanding of how brain tumors are initiated and how to control their growth. It is our belief that by taking such a broad approach we will find the necessary clues that are critical to designing better treatments for brain tumors.