Jezabel Rodriguez-Blanco, PhD

Medical University of South Carolina; Charleston, SC – Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Jezabel Rodriguez-Blanco, PhD completed her graduate studies in neurosciences at the University of Oviedo (Spain). Then, after receiving additional training in neurosciences at the University of Columbia (NY), she completed a postdoctoral appointment in cancer research at the University of Miami (FL). During her years as a postdoc her work was aimed to understand the role developmental pathways play in cancer, specifically in medulloblastoma. Now as an independent investigator at MUSC, Dr. Blanco’s research is still focused on medulloblastoma, and aimed at identifying novel therapeutics for these underserved group of patients. Due to the significant morbidity that current multimodal therapy has in developing children, one of her major research lines is focused on finding targeted therapeutics for these tumors. Additionally, she is working to find novel therapeutics for some of the most lethal forms of pediatric brain tumors. This second research line includes tumors considered very high-risk disease such as the TP53 mutant Sonic Hedgehog subgroup or the MYC amplified group 3 medulloblastoma, and high-grade gliomas, such as the virtually incurable diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.