Sadhana Jackson

Dr. Sadhana Jackson is a board-certified pediatric hematologist/oncologist and clinical pharmacology specialist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), affiliated with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She leads the Developmental Therapeutics and Pharmacology Unit in NINDS, integrating clinical practice with research focused on overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to improve drug delivery for pediatric malignant brain tumors.

• Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from Hampton University
• MD from Eastern Virginia Medical School
• Pediatrics residency at Orlando Health
• Pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
• Joint pediatric neuro-oncology and clinical pharmacology fellowship at Johns Hopkins

Her research investigates BBB heterogeneity in gliomas, aiming to modulate the tumor microenvironment for enhanced CNS therapies. She employs intracerebral microdialysis and BBB disruption techniques to measure drug concentrations and optimize treatments. Collaborative laboratory and clinical studies address challenges in systemic drug delivery to brain tumors.

Recent publications highlight her work on adenosine receptor activation, ibrutinib effects, and regadenoson-induced BBB modulation. These studies span pharmacokinetics, tumor microenvironment manipulation, and drug delivery optimization for CNS malignancies.

Dr. Jackson’s laboratory focuses on translational approaches to pediatric neuro-oncology, leveraging NIH’s intramural core facilities for drug development and clinical trials. Her expertise bridges pediatric oncology, neurology, and pharmacology to target aggressive brain tumors in children.