Casmir Turnquist

BA MSc BM BCh DPhil 

• NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow  | Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences 
• Specialty Registrar in Histopathology | OUH NHS Foundation Trust

I am an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Histopathology. My research focuses on improving our understanding and treatment of childhood and young adult cancers of the brain and spine using novel analytical technologies including long-read sequencing, single molecule in situ hybridisation, and single cell genomics. I was awarded a PhD Fellowship though the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Programme focusing on tumour suppressor genes, p53 and isoforms, in cancer and aging in the brain. After my doctoral studies, I did a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, NIH where I investigated mechanisms underlying neurotoxicity in cancer treatment and received the NIH Director's Innovation Award. Following this, I completed Graduate-Entry Medicine and Academic Foundation Training in Oxford.

Uncovering cell fate determination in fusion-driven cancers of the brain and spine

Fusion genes are caused by the abnormal rearrangement of chromosomes and are a hallmark of childhood and young adult cancers. When two genes merge that are normally separated, this can result in an entirely new gene—a fusion gene. This newly formed gene can cause cells to grow uncontrollably and disrupt normal cellular differentiation. Unlike adult cancers, fusion genes are often the single molecular driver of tumour growth. Thus, they have the potential to be key diagnostic biomarkers and drug targets as they are only present in cancer cells. This project focuses on understanding how fusion genes drive tumour behaviour in a set of understudied tumours affecting young people with poor outcomes: cranial-spinal sarcomas and brain tumours.

Mechanisms of Neurotoxicity in Childhood Cancer Therapy

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy remain essential parts of childhood cancer treatment. They contribute to the cure of otherwise lethal neoplasms. However, despite advances in targeted treatment delivery, these therapies have unwanted effects, particularly on the developing nervous system. The purpose of this research is to begin to dissect the molecular consequences of radiation and chemotherapy on the developing brain at spatial and cell-type specific resolution using a prospectively collected cohort of patients with childhood cancer who have donated their tissues to the Oxford Brain Bank. 

I supervise DPhil students: Hannah Brooks and Claire Lewis