Kumar Awarded Research Grants to Study Pediatric Brain Tumors

Gliomas are the most common type of pediatric brain tumor, and median survival for children with high-grade gliomas is only one to two years. Due to the paucity of research on pediatric gliomas, most therapies are based on adults and have limited efficacy. Recent studies of pediatric microglia have demonstrated the critical role these resident immune cells of the central nervous system play in tumor growth and progression and have prompted research into microglia replacement as a promising therapeutic for patients with gliomas.

Pediatric neurosurgeon Kevin Kumar, MD, PhD, who joined the Dell Medical School faculty as an assistant professor of neurosurgery in 2024, is pioneering innovative microglia replacement protocols to deliver therapeutics designed to limit tumor progression, thereby reducing the adverse effects of more traditional therapies such as radiation and improving outcomes for children. Kumar recently received a K12 award from the National Institutes of Health to study this novel therapeutic approach for pediatric gliomas. The award will help to launch his independent research career under the guidance of his senior mentoring team: Kimberly Nixon, PhD, professor of pharmacology and toxicology; Amy Brock, PhD, associate professor of biomedical engineering; Tom Yankeelov, PhD, director of the Center for Computational Oncology and director of cancer imaging research within the Livestrong Cancer Institutes; and Marius Wernig, MD, PhD, professor of pathology and chemical and systems biology at Stanford University. Additionally, Kumar will receive funds for ongoing professional development and will be supported for a third year by the Department of Neurosurgery.

Kumar also received a 2025–27 Dell Medical School Health Transformation Research Institute and Cain Foundation Award of $175,000 to develop predictive modeling of neurocognitive outcomes in pediatric brain tumor patients. Kumar and co-awardee Sage Green, DO, a pediatric neuro-oncologist at Dell Children’s Medical Center, will collaborate with Paul Rathouz, PhD, professor of population health and founding director of Dell Medical School’s Biomedical Data Science Hub, and Rachel Bridges, PhD, pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant professor of neurology who specializes in evaluating children with brain and spinal cancers.

Kumar’s mission to provide new hope to these medically complex children would not be possible without the commitment and expertise of his Austin colleagues. “By leveraging the incredible resources at The University of Texas at Austin and Dell Children’s Medical Center, we can integrate basic science research and clinical expertise to develop novel approaches to pediatric brain tumors,” said Kumar. “This unique collaborative environment enables us to ask important scientific questions that could improve patient care.”