We’re thrilled to announce that Dr. Maria G. Castro has taken on two prestigious roles in the brain tumor research community: 1. Senior Director of Research for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Research Advisory Network, where she will help advance innovative pediatric brain tumor research. 2. Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council at the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA), guiding research programs, providing scientific expertise,…
The Rogel Cancer Center has awarded $125,000 (direct costs) for their Rogel Cancer Center Innovation Grant – Fall 2025 submission: “SAFE-ENGAGER: Specific Activation and Functional Engagement of vaccine-primed T cells via TCR-binding bispecific T cell engager for potent and safe immunotherapy.” The project is funded for 12/01/25 – 11/30/26. The Rogel Cancer Center congratulates Dr. Zhu and Dr. Castro on this recognition and is proud to…
Meet Dr. Maria Luisa Varela, a Postdoctoral Fellow from Dr. Pedro Lowenstein’s Lab. 1. What motivated you to pursue postdoctoral training, and what led you to join the Castro and Lowenstein Lab? During my PhD, I’ve studied different types of tumors. For my postdoctoral training, I wanted to work on a challenging pathology, as is glioblastoma. Dr. Lowenstein’s and Dr. Castro’s bench side to bedside research was the…
Dr. Maria G. Castro — R.C. Schneider Collegiate Professor of Neurosurgery and Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan, continues to make a global impact in cancer research and science communication. She served on the judging panel for the 2026 AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism, supporting excellence in reporting that brings cancer science to the public. Dr. Castro’s work exemplifies the intersection of cutting-edge research and…
On March 18, Dr. Daiana Perez-Visnuk, a postdoctoral fellow in the Lowenstein lab, presented “The neurotransmitter glutamate modulates collective cell dynamics and calcium signaling during isotropic–nematic–jamming transitions in glioma cancer cells, behaving as an active liquid crystal,” revealing how neurotransmitter signaling drives phase-like transitions in tumor cell collective behavior. Together, these presentations underscore the Lowenstein lab’s contributions to advancing active matter physics approaches in understanding…
At the APS Global Physics Summit 2026, work from the Dr. Pedro Lowenstein lab highlighted emerging links between physics and glioma tumor biology. On March 16, Dr. Anna Argento, who completed her PhD recently in the Lowenstein lab, presented “Glioblastoma Brain Tumors Organize as Active Nematic Liquid Crystals with Novel Implications,” demonstrating how glioblastoma can exhibit active nematic ordering with implications for tumor organization and…
At the J’ACTIVE WE-HERAEUS Workshop held in honor of Jacques Prost’s contributions to the physics–biology interface, Dr. Pedro Lowenstein presented a poster at Les Houches, France (March 9–13, 2026). The presentation, “The neurotransmitter glutamate modulates collective cell dynamics and calcium signaling during isotropic–nematic–jamming transitions in glioma cancer cells, behaving as an active liquid crystal,” highlighted how neurotransmitter signaling can regulate collective cancer cell behavior through…
Dr. Maria G. Castro served as External Examiner for Alessia Portante’s doctoral thesis defense held at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto on March 26.
Dr. Pedro Lowenstein co-chaired Tutorial T7, “Form and Functions of Topological Defects in Biological Matter,” at the APS Global Physics Summit 2026, held on March 15 at the Colorado Convention Center. The session brought together researchers across disciplines to explore cutting-edge developments at the intersection of biological physics, active matter, and mathematics. On March 18, Dr. Lowenstein also presented “Topology Control of Cancer Cell Monolayers…
Research Excellence: Rogel Cancer Center Discovery Award We are excited to share that Dr. Maria G. Castro and Dr. Steven P. Schwendeman have been awarded $100,000 through the Rogel Cancer Center Discovery Award for their project “Targeting DNA Repair and Anti-Tumor Immunity in G34-Mutant Diffuse Hemispheric Gliomas.” The award will enable continued investigation into combined DNA repair targeting and immune-based therapeutic strategies.
