Jaclyn A. Biegel

Jaclyn A. Biegel is a Professor of Pathology (Clinical Scholar) at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, with her primary address at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) located at 4650 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026.

Dr. Biegel's research focuses on the molecular genetics of pediatric cancers, particularly rhabdoid tumors, medulloblastoma, and other childhood malignancies. Her work centers on genomic analysis, molecular profiling, and the development of liquid biopsy techniques for diagnosis and monitoring of pediatric central nervous system tumors. She has made significant contributions to understanding the role of SMARCB1/INI1 in tumor development and has pioneered approaches to detect circulating tumor DNA in cerebrospinal fluid and aqueous humor for non-invasive cancer diagnostics.

Her recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on liquid biopsy applications across various pediatric cancers, with particular focus on cerebrospinal fluid analysis for brain tumors and aqueous humor analysis for retinoblastoma. Her research spans multiple disciplines including molecular biology, genomics, and clinical oncology, with consistent application to improving diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic monitoring in pediatric patients.

Dr. Biegel has served as Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded research projects, including 'Molecular Profiling and Candidate Gene Analysis in Pediatric Gliomas' (R21CA133173) and 'Genetics of pediatric rhabdoid tumors' (R01CA046274), which ran from 1989 to 2015, demonstrating her longstanding commitment to pediatric cancer research. She was also Co-Principal Investigator on 'Towards Precision Medicine in Childhood Acquired Aplastic Anemia' (R24DK103001).

Her laboratory work involves developing and implementing advanced genomic technologies including low-pass whole-genome sequencing, targeted sequencing approaches, and exome capture-based RNA sequencing for comprehensive tumor analysis. Her team collaborates extensively with clinicians and researchers across multiple institutions to translate genomic discoveries into clinical applications for pediatric cancer patients.