Neurosurgeon, Sunnybrook Research Institute
Assistant Professor, Scientist, Departments of Surgery and Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto

Dr. Ying Meng, PhD, is an early-career researcher who completed her PhD, in focused ultrasound. She completed her post-graduate medical degree in neurosurgery at the University of Toronto. She also completed her fellowship in stereotactic radiosurgery from NYU Langone Health.

Her project is entitled “Biomarker-guided optimization of focused ultrasound-enhanced temozolomide therapy in glioblastoma”

She provided the following summary of her research project.

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive brain cancers, with poor outcomes despite maximal therapy. A major challenge is the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which prevents many treatments from reaching the tumour. Focused ultrasound (FUS) is a non-invasive

technology that can temporarily open this barrier and improve drug delivery. In a recent clinical trial, combining FUS with standard chemotherapy improved survival by approximately 60% compared to a matched control cohort. However, it is still not fully understood why some patients benefit more than others, or how to measure treatment response early.

This study will leverage previously collected and prospectively collected blood, spinal fluid, and brain imaging data from patients receiving FUS during adjuvant TMZ to better understand how the treatment works. They will measure how much chemotherapy reaches the brain, identify tumour signals in blood and fluid, and develop tools to predict which patients are most likely to benefit.

Dr. Meng will act as the principal investigator, and will be responsible for design, data collection and analysis, and manuscript preparation. She will be responsible for coordinating with collaborators, organizing team meetings, and knowledge translation through patient workshops and presentation of data at internal and external scientific meetings.

Dr. Meng will collaborate with a team on this project:

• Dr. Trevor Pugh (Scientist) for circulating DNA sequencing and characterization.
• Dr. Hon Leong (Scientist) for extracellular vesicle and circulating tumour cell extraction and characterization.
• Dr. Mary Jane Lim-Fat (Neuro-Oncologist) for patient recruitment and CSF collection.
• Dr. Nir Lipsman (Neurosurgeon) for clinical trial conductance.
• Dr. Kullervo Hynynen (Scientist) for focused ultrasound delivery.