Juliane Gust

Dr. Juliane Gust is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology, Division of Pediatric Neurology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She serves as an Attending Physician at Seattle Children's Hospital and is a Principal Investigator at the Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research. Dr. Gust holds both an MD and PhD in Neurobiology from the University of Washington, where she also completed her Child Neurology residency training.

Dr. Gust's research focuses on understanding how cancer treatments and inflammation affect the developing brain, with particular emphasis on CAR T-cell therapy for pediatric brain tumors. Her work addresses critical challenges in treating diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and other central nervous system tumors in children. She leads the Gust Lab which investigates neurotoxicity mechanisms associated with immunotherapies and develops strategies to protect children's brains during cancer treatment.

Her extensive publication record demonstrates a strong focus on CAR T-cell therapies for pediatric CNS tumors, with particular attention to neurotoxicity patterns, imaging findings, and novel delivery methods. Her research shows how locoregional CAR T-cell delivery can overcome blood-brain barrier limitations, and she has pioneered the classification of tumor inflammation-associated neurotoxicity (TIAN) as a distinct syndrome from traditional immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity.

Dr. Gust has been instrumental in several groundbreaking clinical trials including BrainChild-03 (testing B7-H3 CAR T-cells for DIPG) and BrainChild-04 (pioneering quad-targeting CAR T-cell therapy). Her work bridges clinical practice with laboratory research, aiming to improve outcomes for children with previously untreatable brain cancers while minimizing neurological complications.

As both a clinician and researcher, Dr. Gust is deeply committed to improving care for children with brain tumors. Her passion statement reflects this dedication: 'A brain injury is one of the biggest challenges a family can face, and I'm honored to care for them and support them during this difficult time. As a physician, I strive to give each child the best possible care, and to help families make important medical decisions and find comfort and resilience. As a researcher, I'm driven to understand the brain's mysteries and to find new ways to protect it so more children can lead happy, healthy lives.'