Siobhan Pattwell

Siobhan Pattwell, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a Principal Investigator at Seattle Children's Research Institute in the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders Research. She established her independent laboratory at Seattle Children's in October 2021 after completing postdoctoral training at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center under Dr. Eric Holland, where she expanded her background in developmental neuroscience into cancer genetics and preclinical mouse modeling.

Dr. Pattwell's research focuses on the intersection between neuroscience and cancer biology, specifically investigating how developmental processes are hijacked by tumor cells and identifying pathways that can be targeted by novel therapeutics. Her work centers on neurotrophin receptor splice variants, particularly TrkB.T1, which she has shown plays critical roles in both normal neurodevelopment and oncogenesis across multiple tumor types.

Analysis of her recent publication record reveals a strong focus on pediatric brain tumors, especially diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) and medulloblastoma, with particular emphasis on developing combination therapies that integrate immunotherapy, small molecule inhibitors, and molecular targeting approaches. Her work demonstrates expertise in alternative splicing, neurodevelopmental pathways in cancer, and preclinical modeling of pediatric malignancies.

• Research Awards: None explicitly mentioned in the provided text
• Major Collaborations: Seattle Children's Research Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, University of Washington

Dr. Pattwell's laboratory actively investigates the therapeutic potential of targeting developmental pathways in cancer, with recent work focusing on Trk receptor agonists, CAR T cell combinations, and novel approaches to overcome therapeutic resistance in pediatric brain tumors. Her work bridges basic neuroscience with translational cancer research, aiming to develop more effective treatments for children with difficult-to-treat cancers.