Scientists identify the neuroblastoma cells that signal poor outcomes

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261010/Scientists-identify-the-neuroblastoma-cells-that-signal-poor-outcomes.aspx Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor found outside of the brain in children, yet why some children respond well to treatment while others do not has remained poorly understood. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists and their collaborators built one of the most comprehensive datasets of neuroblastoma cells to date, using it to define the tumor’s cell types and identify a gene signature marking a malignant cell population tied to poor prognosis. The team also created patient-derived models that capture this population, which older laboratory cell lines had missed. The findings, published today in Cancer Cell, give researchers a new framework and a set of tools to study high-risk neuroblastoma.