Nicole M. Brossier, MD, PhD

Nicole M. Brossier, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology

Research Interest

Metabolic Regulation

Research Interests

Basic

Translational

Descriptor of Research

Using NF1 as an experimental platform, I have designed a system to study how maternal environmental exposures, including exposure to a high-fat, high-sucrose diet, affect specific mutant neural stem cell populations to increase pediatric glioma penetrance. My current avenues of investigation include determining whether gestational weight gain or maternal obesity impact Nf1-mutant neural stem cell (NSC) populations in the hypothalamus (third ventricular zone; TVZ) to increase optic pathway glioma incidence in mice. I have identified that maternal diet-induced obesity (DIO) increases the proliferation and glial differentiation of TVZ NSCs in both wild-type and Nf1-mutant offspring. I have further identified that this is associated with increased circulating insulin and leptin, which stimulate proliferation in isolated TVZ NSCs. I am also interested in determining how maternal DIO affects nutrient
availability in the fetal brain, and whether altered nutrient availability may underlie differences in NSC phenotype.